Let Go
by Naodrith
Summary: Complete For Neo-Cosmic's challenge. Mai makes a bet with Yami Bakura that she can make her relationship with Joey work out - but she never expected that Yami Bakura would fall in love with her. Yami BakuraMai - Rated for language
1. Losing Grip

A/N: *buries head in hands* Ack. This is gonna suck.written for Neo- Cosmic's challenge. First Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic, first songfic, so don't hurt me. Oh, and I don't know what happens to the Millennium Eye in the end, since those episodes haven't aired in America yet, so I'm just going to say Bakura got to keep it. Good for him.  
  
Chapter One: Losing Grip  
  
~~Mai's POV~~  
  
I sat down on a bench in the park with a soft sigh. Today /definitely/ hadn't been a good day - not by a long shot. My fists clenched. And it was all /his/ fault. Joey. One of the only people to ever defeat me in a duel - and one of the only people I ever really cared about.  
  
We'd been going out for two months, and it wasn't going so bad. He was a great kid - although the accent drove me positively insane. But lately, he didn't want to "waste his time" with me.  
  
We went to a restaurant for lunch with his friends. Okay, so they're my friends too, but it just feels wrong to say it. After all, they aren't /all/ my friends. Tea drives me crazy with her arrogant "friendship" speeches, and I'm not sure what's up with that Bakura. Ryou is nice enough, but his Yami is downright evil. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he was a tomb robber in ancient Egypt. Maybe it's just me, trying to find a logical explanation for all this magic stuff.  
  
Anyway, I sat down next to Joey, and he totally ignored me, busy arguing about something obscure with Yugi's Yami. I heard a soft laugh and turned to see the white-haired Bakura, snickering.  
  
"Shut up," I hissed at him. The tomb robber only sneered at me.  
  
"How does it feel to have your heart broken?" he asked cryptically. I turned away, unwilling to let him see the doubt that sprang up in my violet eyes.  
  
"You okay, Mai?" Joey asked, turning to me. How could he ask something like that, after ignoring me all day? With supreme effort, I got myself under control.  
  
"Oh, sure," I said. I leaned closer. "I love you, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I luv ya, too. Where's the waiter?"  
  
I felt Bakura's cold gaze on me, and my resolution hardened. I /was/ going to make this relationship work out - just to prove that psycho spirit wrong.  
  
  
  
**Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby?  
  
Right now I feel invisible to you  
  
Like I'm not real  
  
Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you  
  
Why'd you turn away?  
  
Here's what I have to say**  
  
  
  
So, there I was - in the park in the middle of the night, trying to think of a way to get a grip on the whole relationship thing. It was my fault that it wasn't working out, so I had to do something!  
  
"Don't bother," a soft voice whispered from the shadows. I jumped and spun to face Bakura. Dammit, I hate it when he reads my thoughts...  
  
"What," I hissed, my eyes glittering angrily, "are you doing here?"  
  
"It's a public area," he replied, the smirk returning to his lips. "I can come here whenever I want, Mai, and you can't stop me."  
  
I sat down again, crossing my arms. "What do you /want/, tomb robber?"  
  
He sat down beside me, the smirk disappearing and the mocking brown eyes turning suddenly serious. "He doesn't love you anymore, Mai."  
  
"How would you know? And why should I trust you?" I glared at him, although inside my heart was ripping in half. No one had /ever/ dumped me before - mostly because I had never dated anyone before.  
  
He shrugged. "You know the power of the Millennium Items," he replied. "The Eye is mine, now that Pegasus has been proved unworthy. I can read your thoughts, and /I/ don't have to actually wear that ugly thing." He smirked. "Ryou would rather I didn't take advantage of its power, but he's just lucky I'm not using his body anymore."  
  
I shuddered. Bakura seriously creeped me out. "So, you read his mind and he doesn't love me anymore. So what? I still don't believe you, so we're right back where we started."  
  
"Then you're a fool," he said simply. "Believe it or not, blondie, I care about your welfare - mainly because Ryou might decide to strike back if he found out that I let you or the others get hurt. Mai, he's just using you. He likes the pathetic weakling."  
  
"Tea?" I whispered.  
  
"If you want to call her that. I like pathetic weakling better."  
  
"That jerk!" I flared, leaping to my feet. "I'm going to kill him!" Tears came unbidden to my eyes.  
  
"Don't cry," Bakura said softly. I thought that I caught a hint of sorrow in his tone - yeah, right. He would probably enjoy seeing me cry.  
  
  
  
**I was left to cry there  
  
Waiting outside there  
  
Grinning with a lost stare  
  
That's when I decided**  
  
  
  
"I don't care," I choked out. "I don't care. I don't need him."  
  
"You need someone to love you," Bakura said calmly. "You're the kind of person who can't be alone. That's why you used to hide behind the whole tough-but-pretty routine - so no one would ever see how vulnerable you are."  
  
"Stop reading my mind!" I snapped, raising a hand to dash away my tears.  
  
"I'm not," he murmured. "I've been able to tell since the first day I saw you."  
  
I shuddered. "Shut up, you stupid thief," I said. "I don't care about Joey! I don't need him, and I sure as hell don't need you!"  
  
  
  
**Why should I care?  
  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared  
  
I was so alone  
  
You need to listen  
  
I'm starting to trip  
  
I'm losing my grip  
  
And I'm in this thing alone**  
  
  
  
Bakura faded back into the shadows he had come from, but I sat down on the bench again, this time letting the tears fall. Joey - he would never play with my emotions like this. He could be annoying, sure, but he was such a good guy! He wasn't as tough as he pretended to be. And neither was I.  
  
Dammit, the thief was really getting into my head. Just what he wanted to do, no doubt, the sadistic creep. But he had done what he had probably wanted to do - he had planted the seeds of doubt. I wasn't even thinking coherently anymore.  
  
  
  
**Am I just some chick you placed beside you  
  
To take somebody's place?  
  
When you turn around  
  
Can you recognize my face?  
  
You used to love me  
  
You used to hug me  
  
But that wasn't the case  
  
Everything wasn't okay**  
  
  
  
Now that I was actually thinking about it, there had been all kinds of little signals that Joey didn't care anymore. All the times that he had invited Tea over to help him with his homework, all the times he had been too busy to go out. It hadn't been like that at the beginning of our relationship, but I had been so stupid - I hadn't seen the change.  
  
And now I was truly alone. Even the tomb robber had abandoned me.  
  
Only because I had told him to...  
  
Was he right after all?  
  
  
  
**I was left to cry there  
  
Waiting outside there  
  
Grinning with a lost stare  
  
That's when I decided**  
  
  
  
I stood up and stared into the shadows, willing him to be there. "All right, I believe you!" I cried. "But I'm not - I'm not going to give up. I bet I can win him back."  
  
There was a very uncomfortable silence, and then Bakura answered. "How much would you bet?"  
  
I swallowed, hard. "How much do you want me to bet?" This was ridiculous! Joey didn't like Tea - he couldn't. But he wasn't here, either, was he? I felt like I was losing my grip on the situation.  
  
  
  
**Why should I care?  
  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared  
  
I was so alone  
  
You need to listen  
  
I'm starting to trip  
  
I'm losing my grip  
  
And I'm in this thing alone**  
  
  
  
Bakura sighed, and I could practically see his evil grin. "If you can't get him back, you owe me your heart."  
  
"What?" I asked, blinking. "My heart? You bloodthirsty - "  
  
"I meant figuratively. You can't live without love, so I'm not going to let you. If you can't get him, you can come to me. You /will/ come to me."  
  
"Why are you being so nice?" I asked, trembling with sudden fear. "What do you want?"  
  
"I want to help you, Mai. Is that so hard to believe?"  
  
"Coming from you, hell yes!" A sob tore its way from my throat.  
  
"Dammit, don't cry!" he said, emerging and taking me into his embrace. I sobbed into his chest, forgetting on purpose that he was evil.  
  
  
  
**Crying out loud  
  
I'm crying out loud  
  
Crying out loud  
  
I'm crying out loud**  
  
  
  
I pulled away from Bakura, trying to regain my self-confidence. "I'll take that bet," I said firmly. "I can open his eyes. He's the only one who deserves me. What do I get if I win?"  
  
"Twenty dollars." It was impossible to tell if he was kidding or not. I snorted. Twenty dollars versus my heart? That didn't seem fair!  
  
Bakura shrugged. "Life isn't fair. Open your eyes to the truth, Mai..."  
  
  
  
**Open your eyes  
  
Open up wide  
  
Why should I care?  
  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared  
  
I was so alone  
  
Why should I care?  
  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared  
  
I was so alone**  
  
  
  
"He doesn't care anymore," Bakura continued. "He likes the pathetic weakling - Tea, if you want to call her that."  
  
"I still care," I objected, although the fading pain in my heart told me that I didn't, really. I never really had - it was mostly admiration that he had done so well in the tournament, I guess. Admiration that he could beat me. And he was /so/ cute.  
  
  
  
**Why should I care?  
  
If you don't care, then I don't care  
  
We're not going anywhere**  
  
  
  
"If you really want to take this bet..." Bakura said softly. For the first time, I detected a hint of indecision in his tone. Maybe he didn't want to waste twenty dollars on a bet he couldn't win!  
  
Or maybe he really /was/ sure of it, and he didn't want to further humiliate me...  
  
Yeah, right. Not him. The evil one. The tomb robber.  
  
  
  
**Why should I care?  
  
Cuz you weren't there when I was scared  
  
I was so alone  
  
Why should I care?  
  
If you don't care, then I don't care  
  
We're not going anywhere**  
  
  
  
"I'll take the bet," I repeated. "You're going down. You'll see!"  
  
Bakura shook his head. "You're losing your grip on the relationship, Mai, because there /isn't/ one. Open your eyes, mortal fool!"  
  
I shook my head. "Nuh-uh. I'm gonna win, tomb robber. You'll see."  
  
"You have a week," he answered. "Have fun losing." He vanished into the shadows again, and I sat down.  
  
What the hell had I gotten myself into? 


	2. Nobody's Fool

A/N: Shizu is an OC who factors heavily in my Digimon fanfic "Mi Amor." She plays a completely different role in this story, though, because I like her. Don't hurt me. If I made any little, glaring errors, you only have to tell me.but /kindly/. I'm very sensitive. *Sniffle*  
  
Chapter Two: Nobody's Fool  
  
~~Bakura's POV~~  
  
I slipped back into the house near midnight, having spent almost two hours in the park, watching Mai. I like her - I mean, for a mortal. She's got a rebellious streak and an attitude, which is more than I can say for /some/ people.  
  
Besides that, she reminds me of someone I used to know.  
  
Shizu was odd for an Egyptian. She dyed her hair blonde when she discovered that it made people sit up and take notice. She had those same brilliant purple eyes. The only difference is that her favorite color was blue, not purple - and, of course, she was Egyptian. She was a noble something-or- other, and it was her fault that I met the Pharaoh.  
  
She was also my partner, in crime and in love - and the only person who didn't try to change who I was.  
  
  
  
**Fall back, take a look at me and you'll see  
  
I'm for real, I feel what only I can feel  
  
And if that don't appeal to you  
  
Let me know, and I'll go 'cause I flow  
  
Better when my colors show**  
  
  
  
The first time I saw Mai was at the Duelist Kingdom when she dueled with Yugi. She's almost as good as Shizu was at that game. And there's another thing they have in common - the Pharaoh defeated both of them. I'll never forgive him for that. They both deserved to win.  
  
Back in the present, Ryou looked up from where he was watching a movie - "The Mummy," in fact. "You're home late," he noted, almost sounding cheerful. I made a mental note to correct that later and sat down on the couch next to him, staring dully at the movie.  
  
"It's getting to the good part," Ryou told me. "See, Imhotep kidnaps Evie - that's the girl, there - but first he's going to kill the American..."  
  
"So?"  
  
Somewhat taken aback, Ryou stared at me. "Don't you care? It's about Egypt."  
  
"There's probably a million glaring little errors, since the movie is American - and more so since it's dubbed."  
  
Ryou shook his head. "Why can't you at least try to be nice to me, Yami?"  
  
I rolled my eyes. There he went, trying to change me again. When will these mortals get it into their heads that I don't /want/ to change? Shizu didn't try to make me be nice - and I bet Mai wouldn't, either.  
  
  
  
**And that's the way it has to be  
  
Honestly  
  
'Cause creativity could never bloom in my room  
  
I'd throw it all away before I'd lie  
  
So don't call me with a compromise  
  
Hang up the phone, I got a backbone  
  
Stronger than yours**  
  
  
  
And what makes them think they'll succeed, anyway? I've been a dark little tomb robber for thousands of years, so what could possibly force me to change into someone I don't want to be?  
  
Ryou turned the movie off and we sat there in silence for a few minutes. Finally, he asked, "Where were you?"  
  
"Talking to...a girl." At the last moment, I omitted Mai's name. Let him wonder.  
  
"A girl? What girl?"  
  
"Just...a girl."  
  
Ryou sighed. The couch springs creaked as he stood up, yawning. "I'm gonna go to bed, then. See you in the morning, Yami."  
  
"Whatever." I remained silent until he left the room, then scrambled for the remote. I wanted to see Imhotep kill an American and kidnap what's-her- name - the girl.  
  
  
  
**If you're trying to turn me into someone else  
  
It's easy to see I'm not down with that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool  
  
If you're trying to turn me into something else  
  
I've seen it enough and I'm over that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool**  
  
  
  
The next morning was Saturday. Ryou made pancakes while I pretended not to watch Pokemon. There's just something about that Pikachu that makes me want to strangle something, but I like Team Rocket. Just don't tell anyone about it.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang. I grabbed it without thinking and mumbled, "Hello?"  
  
"Oh, it's you. Is Ryou there?"  
  
I instantly recognized the Pharaoh's condescending tone. "Maybe he is, maybe not. It all depends on how civil you can be."  
  
"Look, tomb robber, I don't really have the time to talk to you. Just get Ryou."  
  
"Say the magic word."  
  
"Do I have to come over there and beat you over the head with a stick?"  
  
I laughed to myself. The Pharaoh is incredibly funny in the morning. "Please do. But as long as you're here, you can talk to Ryou in person."  
  
There was a long pause. "Shut up."  
  
"Oh, I'm so hurt. I think I'm going to cry. Watch me, I'm absolutely sobbing because the Almighty Pharaoh told me to shut up." Who does he think he's talking to? Insults never bothered me - unless it was Shizu doing the insulting. She had this way of making you feel completely inferior and horrible. I never liked that. Some American somewhere said that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent, but that's not true. If anyone can, Shizu could. She even brought the Pharaoh to his knees in tears once, although he doesn't remember it.  
  
  
  
**If you wanna bring me down  
  
Go ahead and try  
  
Go ahead and try**  
  
  
  
I set the phone down. "Ryou, Yugi's Yami wants to talk to you!"  
  
He dashed out of the kitchen. "Can you keep the pancakes from burning, Yami?"  
  
"Whatever." I wandered aimlessly toward the kitchen, making him very nervous, I'm sure. I smirked as I picked up the whatchamacallit - the flipper thing. Spatula? All these new-fangled words drive me crazy.  
  
"Hey, Yami?"  
  
"What?" I asked as I awkwardly flipped over a pancake, almost knocking it out of the pan.  
  
"Do you want to go have lunch with Yugi and the others?"  
  
"We haven't had breakfast yet..."  
  
"I know, but then we're going to see 'The Mummy Returns.' I know you didn't like the first movie, but - "  
  
"Okay, we'll go."  
  
I quietly picked up the extension as I continued to labor over the pancakes. " - will go," Ryou was saying.  
  
"Okay. Are you sure you can't get the tomb robber to stay home? You know he'll just drive us all mad."  
  
"I know, but that's okay. It's how he is."  
  
"Couldn't you try a little harder to make him change, Ryou?"  
  
I gently hung up the phone, shaking my head. What is /with/ these people? Don't they understand that it's not that easy to change - especially when you don't want to? I tried for five years to get a legitimate job, but I'm a thief. It's who I am. Nothing will ever change that, especially not a Pharaoh I never liked in the first place.  
  
  
  
**Don't know  
  
You think you know me like yourself  
  
But I fear that you're only telling me  
  
What I wanna hear  
  
But do you give a damn?  
  
Understand  
  
That I can't not be who I am**  
  
  
  
Ryou suddenly reappeared in the kitchen and snatched the flipper thing from me to finish up, obviously not trusting me with a stove anymore. Quite casually, he said, "Are you sure you want to come with us?"  
  
"Duh," I said, hovering over his shoulder and waiting eagerly for the pancakes. "It's a chance to argue with the Pharaoh, isn't it?"  
  
"Is that the only reason you hang out with us?"  
  
"Maybe." That and the fact that Mai is almost always there. She really does remind me of Shizu, and we would have been married if we hadn't been so busy running from the law. Love may seem out of character for me, but I'm not as evil as some people might like to think. I may commit crimes without remorse, but I very rarely kill anyone. It's mostly threats. Shizu was the cold-blooded one, really. Mai's not like that at all, and I respect that.  
  
"Can you get the syrup out?" Ryou asked. I obeyed almost without thinking, then paused, contemplating hiding it under my shirt and pouring it into the Pharaoh's hair. As if he had read my mind, Ryou added, "And be nice today, or I'll have Yami Yugi banish your soul again."  
  
"...that didn't work the last time you tried it, remember?"  
  
  
  
**I'm not the milk and Cheerios in your spoon  
  
It's not a simple "Here we go"  
  
Not so soon  
  
I mighta fallen for that when I was fourteen  
  
And a little more green  
  
But it's amazing what a couple of years can mean**  
  
  
  
Trying to sound normal, I asked, "Will Mai and Joey be there?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
Ryou spontaneously decided to try to have a bonding moment. "I never got why she would go out with him. I always thought she didn't like him. What do you think?"  
  
"What would I know about love? I'm /evil/, remember?"  
  
Ryou slammed the plate of pancakes down on the table, his eyes suddenly hard. "Look, Yami, you don't have to be so mean to me. I'm your other half. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, so - "  
  
"So be nice?" I asked coldly, grabbing a plate and resisting an urge to break it. "I'm not a fool, Ryou. I'm hardly going to change just because you want me to!"  
  
"Why not? Does something draw you to the evil, like a moth to a flame? What makes you like this?"  
  
I tried to ignore him, I really did, but it's just too hard to resist him. He can be absolutely adorable when he wants something from me, and he was giving me this /look/. I /hate/ when people do that to me...  
  
  
  
**If you're trying to turn me into someone else  
  
It's easy to see I'm not down with that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool  
  
If you're trying to turn me into something else  
  
I've seen it enough and I'm over that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool**  
  
  
  
"Do you want to know the truth?" I asked.  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"The truth is...I'm evil because it's more fun than being a pathetic weakling!" I laughed and started to wolf down my pancakes.  
  
Well, duh, that's not the real reason! What do you think I am, a heartless tomb robber? I /used/ to be a real person, too. No one is truly evil.  
  
  
  
**If you wanna bring me down  
  
Go ahead and try  
  
Go ahead and try  
  
Go ahead and try  
  
Try to look me in the eye  
  
But you'll never see inside  
  
Until you realize**  
  
  
  
I sighed tragically. "No one understands me."  
  
"That might be because you don't want anyone to understand you," Ryou suggested.  
  
"Meh," I muttered. "What time are we meeting your friends?" I very carefully emphasized the "your."  
  
"We're meeting /our/ friends at noon," Ryou answered. I slipped my hand into my pocket, where I could feel the cold metal of the Millennium Eye.  
  
~~What a perfect way to beat the tomb robber,~~ Mai was thinking at that moment. ~~It's a scary movie. That makes it so easy to hug in fear...~~  
  
I smirked. She would never win this bet. How could she doubt my Eye?  
  
Maybe she had sensed my doubt last night. I hadn't really wanted to talk to her, but she had looked and sounded so much like Shizu that I couldn't resist. It had probably been a mistake. I could never love anyone else. I /am/ mostly evil now, after all...  
  
  
  
**Things are trying to settle down  
  
Just trying to figure out  
  
Exactly what I'm about  
  
If it's with or without you  
  
I don't need you doubting me**  
  
  
  
I finished my pancakes and swiped the syrup while Ryou wasn't looking, then began to make my plans. Yami Yugi would pay for what he had done to Shizu, and for how mean he was being to me. I mean, seriously, the guy keeps banishing me when I'm not really doing anything wrong. I tried to steal his/Yugi's friends' souls, sure, but Pegasus stole his/Yugi's grandfather's soul and all Yami did was beat the guy in a duel. And it was a mostly fair duel, too. Stupid Change of Heart card.  
  
Ryou looked around suddenly. "What happened to the syrup?"  
  
"I put it away," I said innocently, hiding the syrup under my chair.  
  
"Since when do you do nice things for me?"  
  
I chuckled darkly. "Maybe I put it away in the wrong place."  
  
I delighted in the fact that Ryou spent the next two hours opening cupboards and slamming doors, trying to find the syrup. The truth was, all he had to do was look in his shoes. That's where I hid it - some of it anyway.  
  
  
  
**If you're trying to turn me into someone else  
  
It's easy to see I'm not down with that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool  
  
If you're trying to turn me into something else  
  
I've seen it enough and I'm over that  
  
I'm not nobody's fool**  
  
  
  
We left at eleven. Unfortunately, Ryou decided to wear his /other/ pair of sneakers. No matter; it would be much, much harder to get out of his socks when it was partially dry. All the way to the diner, he kept shooting me suspicious glances, although I'm sure he didn't see the bottle in my pocket. I was being very careful to let my coat cover it.  
  
Yami and Yugi arrived first, and I amused myself by hoarding mustard and ketchup packets for further revenge upon the two of them. I have thousands of years worth of hatred for Yami, and his little hikari.well, Yugi was just too nice. Like the pathetic weakling - Tea. You won't get anywhere if you're so damn nice to people, I mean, really.  
  
Yami immediately made some snide remark, and I replied rudely. Things sort of deteriorated from there. My heart wasn't really in the insults; I kept thinking about Shizu.and about Mai. If there was anyone who could really tear me down, it would be one of those two.  
  
And, since Shizu has been dead for a few thousand years, it would have to be Mai.  
  
For the first time - but not the last - I found myself wondering if the bet had really been a good idea.  
  
  
  
**If you wanna bring me down  
  
Go ahead and try  
  
Try  
  
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah** 


	3. Too Much To Ask

A/N: Whoo, this is really late, and I have no good excuse for it...so let me just say that if it wasn't for the aliens and the whole time-traveling thing, I really would have had this out sooner. Totally not my fault. Blame the extraterrestrials. Or the government, which we all know is the root of all evil. Oh, and, um, let's assume school is out for the summer, shall we? For them, I mean. Not for me. I've got twelve weeks left. *sigh*  
  
Chapter Three: Too Much To Ask  
  
**Mai's POV**  
  
Sometimes it almost seems like the world is out to get you, you know? And that day, well, it seemed like a whole freakin' bunch of worlds were out to get me.  
  
We went to lunch before the movie, and somehow, Joey ended up sitting next to Tea, while I had to sit next to Bakura at a different table. Granted, Ryou and Yugi were also there, but I was just so aware of the dark spirit next to me that I didn't notice them at all.  
  
I couldn't take my eyes off of Joey, but he didn't seem to be having too much trouble being separated from me - in fact, he was joking around with Tea and Tristan. I glared at him, which usually works, but he didn't even notice.  
  
"You okay, Mai?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Yeah...I'm all right."  
  
"You seem a bit preoccupied today."  
  
"Oh, well, you know...just thinking." I laughed, but it sounded so fake and discordant to my ears. I glanced at Bakura, but he wasn't looking at me. I followed his gaze over to Yami. Even the tomb robber wasn't paying attention to me! Jeez. What does a girl have to do to get noticed these days?  
**It's the first time I ever felt this lonely  
  
Wish someone would cure this pain  
  
It's funny when you think it's gonna work out  
  
Till you chose weed over me, you're so lame**  
Yugi and Ryou both totally ignored Bakura and I for the remainder of lunch, preferring to turn in their chairs and talk to the others. I sighed, rested my chin on my hand, and stared out the window.  
  
"Mai?"  
  
I glanced over at Bakura, who had switched his gaze to me. "Yeh?"  
  
"Um, the bet. You know, last night? Do you still want to keep doing that?"  
  
He sounded anxious, almost afraid. I bit my lip, twisted around to face him. "Of course," I said sharply. "Why? You getting scared that you'll lose?" I laughed, but again it sounded wrong.  
  
"No," he said vehemently. "No way. Of course I'm going to win. I just thought maybe you didn't really want to do this..."  
  
I glanced over at Joey, saw his arm around Tea, and suddenly I hated him. It was weird - one day I love him to death and the next I loathe him. But I did. I really, truly did.  
  
"You men are all alike," I said coolly. "You know, fooling around. Even when you're married, you still cheat. But you know what? I can get past that."  
  
"/Can/ you."  
  
"Yes. I'm upping the stakes. You bet twenty bucks if I win." I cast a quick glance at the others, leaned closer to him, and whispered, "If I win, you've got to change for me. Stop being evil, the works. My slave."  
  
"For how long?" he asked, his voice strangled.  
  
"A month." I smirked at him, leaned back. Now /he/ would call the bet off, and at least then I could break up with Joey and not owe the tomb robber anything.  
  
"Okay. But only because you're going to lose."  
  
Shit, this wasn't supposed to happen! I kicked the table, sighed, and glanced back at Joey.  
  
Well, I only had to keep him for a week, right?  
**I thought you were cool until the point  
  
Up until the point you didn't call me when you said you would  
  
I finally figured out you're all the same  
  
Always comin' up with some kind of story**  
I didn't talk to anyone until we got to the movie theater, where I wormed my way into Joey's arms. "Can I buy your ticket for you?" I asked sweetly, inwardly wincing at how /stupid/ I sounded. I saw Bakura cover a grin with his hand and took the time to kiss Joey. He smiled at me, but it didn't make my knees weak the way it once had.  
  
"That'd be cool," he said. "That's real nice of ya, Mai."  
  
"No problem," I said smoothly. Great. I might win the bet, but till I did, I would be totally broke. Still, I dished out the money.  
  
I sat in between Joey and Yami. Bakura sat behind us with Ryou and Yugi. Tea sat on Joey's other side, to my chagrin. I /knew/ I should've made him sit on the aisle.  
  
Sometime during one of the battle scenes I managed to worm my hand into Joey's, noticing with some distaste that he had his other arm casually around Tea. Pathetic weakling, indeed! I truly believe she didn't even notice that - hey - Joey is /my/ boyfriend. Was. Whatever.  
  
I'm actually surprised it lasted that long. Sure, he can be sweet, and he's got a good heart - but he tries so hard to be tough. Like me. And, you know, opposites attract, right? So, since we're basically the same, I should never have been attracted to him. Right? Right?  
  
Guess what. I'm pathetic. Hadn't you noticed?  
**Every time I try to make you smile  
  
You're always feeling sorry for yourself  
  
Every time I try to make you laugh  
  
You can't, you're too tough  
  
You think you're loveless  
  
Is that too much that I'm asking for?**  
Anyway, the movie wasn't half-bad, especially the finale. When the lights came on, Yami discovered that "someone" had poured syrup in his hair and smeared ketchup and mustard on his shirt. We were treated to a lovely lesson in Egyptian swearing, which shocked Yugi very much.  
  
I thought it was funny.  
  
As we left the theater, I noticed a bulge in Bakura's jacket pocket. "Hey," I said innocently, "did you know there's a bottle of syrup in your pocket?" He blushed furiously and shot a glance at Yami, who was busy ranting and didn't notice.  
  
Joey tried to call me five times on Sunday. I ignored the phone every time, busy watching TV. The sixth time, I unplugged the phone.  
  
After all, if throwing myself at him wasn't working, maybe ignoring him would.  
  
I couldn't afford to lose this bet.  
**Thought you'd come around when I ignored you  
  
Sorta thought you'd have the decency to change  
  
But babe, I guess you didn't take that warning  
  
'Cause I'm not about to look at your face again**  
Monday.  
  
I went to work at the restaurant, which, thankfully, doesn't get much business in the morning. Unfortunately, Joey knows perfectly well where and when I work, and he showed up.  
  
"Pancakes, please," he said, giving me that goofy grin of his. I grinned back, raising my eyebrows when I saw Bakura slip in, wearing a trenchcoat and a large hat.  
  
"Anything to drink?"  
  
"Orange juice. And a kiss."  
  
Have to keep up appearances. I bent down and gave Joey a teasing little kiss, which, for some reason, sent little chills of electricity down my spine. Dammit, I was over him! I /was/. Really. I was totally over that vain, self-absorbed, adorable Duelist. Apparently, I had been asking too much of him. He was into brunettes, or something. Totally not my fault.  
**Can't you see that you lie to yourself?  
  
You can't see the world through a mirror  
  
It won't be too late when the smoke clears  
  
'Cause I, I am still here  
  
But every time I try to make you smile  
  
You're always feeling sorry for yourself  
  
Every time I try to make you laugh  
  
You'd stand like a stone  
  
Alone in your zone  
  
Is that too much that I'm asking for?**  
I gave his order to the chef and went over to Bakura. "And what do /you/ want?" I snapped.  
  
He smirked at me, those icy brown eyes staring straight through me. "Twenty bucks and a date."  
  
"I've got until Friday," I reminded him. "Now, order something or go away."  
  
"Waffles. Don't bother bringing syrup."  
  
I giggled, and was immediately appalled. I mean, I'm /Mai Valentine/. I don't /giggle/.  
  
"To drink?"  
  
"Water's good."  
  
I turned my back on him and went to give his order to the cook. What if he was right and I had lost Joey? What if he was right? What if I /did/ have to date him?  
  
Ew. He couldn't make me do that. No way. Freedom and choice and all that.  
  
But /what if he was right/?  
**Yeah yeah, yeah yeah  
  
Can't find where I am, lying here alone in fear  
  
Afraid of the dark, no one to claim, alone again  
  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah**  
When the food was ready, I brought Joey his pancakes and orange juice. "Want to go out Friday?" he asked.  
  
"Not Friday," I replied. "How about tomorrow?"  
  
"'Kay, sure. Where d'you want to go?"  
  
"Oh, let's go see a play. The Taming of the Shrew is in town."  
  
"Cool. I'll get us tickets, if they're not sold out already."  
  
"Thanks, sweetheart." I kissed him again, then went off to get Bakura his waffles and water.  
  
"So, you give up?" he asked.  
  
"No. As a matter of fact, I'm seeing a play tomorrow. With Joey. Just us."  
  
He rolled his eyes at me. "God, Mai, you are so naive! He's just playing with you."  
  
"Excuse me, Bakura, but this is Joey we're talking about. He's very sweet and...loyal...and stuff. He doesn't play with people. If anything weird is going on between him and Tea, he's totally innocent."  
  
"Right..."  
**Can't you see that you lie to yourself?  
  
You can't see the world through a mirror  
  
It won't be too late when the smoke clears  
  
'Cause I, I am still here**  
"You are so self-serving," I hissed, casting a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure Joey was busy eating. He was. As usual. "The only reason you're doing this is so that you can get the personal satisfaction of winning. Beating me. Well, I'm not defeated so easily."  
  
I stalked off to go wait on a businessman who had, apparently, been waiting for me for quite some time. Well, it was all Bakura's fault, anyway. Keeping me from my duties!  
  
Men. They're all so shallow.  
**Every time I try to make you smile  
  
You're always feeling sorry for yourself  
  
Every time I try to make you laugh  
  
You can't, you're too tough  
  
You think you're loveless  
  
It was too much that I asked you for...** 


	4. Unwanted

Chapter Four: Unwanted  
  
~~Bakura's POV~~  
  
Tuesday. Mai was on a date with Joey, so I, bored tomb robber that I am, had to hang out with Ryou and friends. Oh, joy. And guess what they were playing? Monopoly. Happy day.  
  
Apparently, though, Yugi had lost just enough of his pieces so that one of us couldn't play, and guess who had to sit out? Me. Just because of the /last/ time we played, I suspect they no longer trusted me.  
  
Gods, I hate them. More than they hate me. I mean, if you add all their hate together and multiply it by three, you still don't have as much hatred as I do. I /hate/ them. Especially the pharaoh. Is there a word stronger than hate? If there isn't, I'll make one up. Kazoo. That works. I kazoo him.  
***All that I did was walk over  
  
Start off by shaking your hands  
  
That's how it went  
  
I had a smile on my face  
  
And I sat up straight  
  
Oh yeah yeah  
  
I wanted to know ya  
  
I wanted to show ya**  
So there I was, sitting in a chair, pretending to read a magazine while the pathetic little mortal fools - and the pharaoh - giggled over some stupid game and some stupid paper money. I had the distinct impression that they were ignoring me.  
  
After about three exciting games, Ryou, twice the winner, turned to look at me. "Hey, Yami," he said tentatively. "You know, if you're bored, you can go home."  
  
"No," I objected. "This is just fascinating. It's an article about..." I glanced down. "Well, it's an article, anyway." I think I actually blushed. The content of the article just didn't bear thinking about.  
  
"You can keep the magazine," Yugi suggested, all sweetness and light. Little faker. I had my hand in my pocket, touching the Eye, and at that moment - well, what he was thinking also doesn't bear thinking about.  
  
"Don't let us keep you here," Tea said, also very sweetly. Pathetic bitch. She didn't give a damn if I stayed or went, she was too busy wondering what her "precious Joey" was doing with "that moron Mai." I really can't believe her sometimes. She does know that Mai let her win that duel, right? /Right/?  
  
However, a quick scan of all of them proved that Tea was the only one who wanted me there. But not really, as she was otherwise occupied.  
  
Naturally, I did exactly what they didn't want me to do.  
  
"No, I think I'd better stay here," I said in the most irritating tone I could manage. "And keep the noise level from getting too loud."  
  
They proceeded to ignore me while getting set up for Twister.  
**You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
You don't want me there  
  
You just shut me out  
  
You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
If you had your way you'd just shut me up  
  
Make me go away**  
One can only watch teenagers get into frighteningly suggestive poses a few times before your mind turns to other things. Namely, Shizu. And Egypt. And why I kazoo that jerk, the pharaoh.  
  
In "The Mummy," Rick says something about blood and sand. He was more right than he knew, especially since he was an actor who has probably never been to Egypt and probably never will. Blood and sand. That's all you could see for miles, five thousand years ago. That and cats.  
  
I like cats. In fact, I love cats. I used to have a cat, in Egypt, named Rana. I thought it was a cute name. I mean, before I wised up and discovered that cuteness simply does not exist. Then I renamed her something long-forgotten that meant something vaguely translated to "I'm going to rip your heart out, you jerk." I wish she had, but Yami is allergic to cats and she couldn't get close enough to kill him. Gods, I miss Rana. And Shizu.  
  
I kazoo the pharaoh. I just...kazoo him. And that sounds funny. I need to find a new word again. Maybe "double-hate" would work...  
  
Want to know a secret? Yami has serious people-issues. He wouldn't talk to anyone in Egypt. Seriously. People would come before him with their problems and he would just listen and not speak. I think they nicknamed him "the Silent One." That's different, now. Five thousand years later, he talks too much for his own good.  
  
And he still can't manage a civil conversation with me.  
**I'm so unwanted  
  
No, I just don't understand why  
  
You won't talk to me  
  
It hurts  
  
That I'm so unwanted for nothing  
  
Don't talk words against me  
  
I wanted to know ya  
  
I wanted to show ya**  
Three long hours and about six billion flashbacks later, Joey and Mai arrived. Joey looked utterly bored, while Mai seemed tired but triumphant. She perched on the arm of my chair while Joey enthusiastically joined in a vicious game of Scrabble. I don't know why or even how, but Scrabble is a blood sport for these kids. It's sad.  
  
"He kissed me," Mai murmured with a goofy grin on her face. "Then we made out. We got to second base."  
  
"I didn't need to know that," I replied as Tristan misspelled the word "medieval."  
  
"Just acknowledge that I've won so I can freakin' break up with him!" she hissed. I think my eyes actually widened.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look, the bet was for me to win him back. I did, and now I don't want him anymore, so let's just call it quits."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Mai, dear, just look at him now. Five minutes after he's done with you, he's already hugging Tea."  
  
"Because he got a triple-word-score on 'brownie,'" she said, as though it should be painfully obvious.  
  
"Notice the simple joy they're taking from ignoring us," I said in the same tone of voice. "Yugi hid the Monopoly pieces so I couldn't play."  
  
"No, he lost those last week," she said.  
  
"Actually, he lost those after the first game he ever played with me."  
  
Ryou glanced up. "Mai, don't you want to play?"  
  
"No thanks," she replied, giggling and then inexplicably looking shocked.  
**You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
You don't want me there  
  
You just shut me out  
  
You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
If you had your way you'd just shut me up  
  
Make me go away  
  
Make me go away**  
After the others begged for nearly ten minutes straight, Mai joined them, sitting in between Joey and Tea and snuggling up to him as much as possible. It was very difficult not to see the looks she kept shooting at me. We actually held a "conversation" while she played. I expect it helped a great deal that I had my hand on the Eye the whole time.  
  
'What did I tell you? This kid adores me.'  
  
'Oh, really? Looks to me like he adores the points Tea's racking up. Or maybe it's just her rack.'  
  
After a quick glance to her right: 'What? She doesn't even have one.'  
  
'Maybe he appreciates the understated.'  
  
'No, he adores mine. He has nicknames for them.'  
  
'Can we get back on the subject?'  
  
'This /is/ the subject.'  
  
'I'm not speaking to you!'  
  
'Then shut up already!'  
  
Yami, being the all-seeing freak he is, followed the conversation fairly well and jumped in.  
  
'What does this have to do with anything?'  
  
'It doesn't, now go away, jerk.'  
  
'Why don't you go away?'  
**I tried to belong  
  
It didn't seem wrong  
  
My head aches  
  
It's been so long  
  
I'll write this song  
  
If that's what it takes**  
We didn't get home until after eleven. I barely noticed, too annoyed with the world in general to notice.  
  
"Ryou," I said sweetly as he started up the stairs.  
  
"Yes, Yami?"  
  
"Can you just give me the damn Ring and let me get out of here already?"  
  
"No! You would just try to take over the world or something." He grabbed protectively at the Ring, which he always wore under his shirt now, regardless of where I was or what I was doing.  
  
"Ryou," I said calmly, "there is only one thing I want, and that's revenge on the pharaoh."  
  
"He hasn't done anything to you!"  
  
"Recently. You weren't there, five thousand years ago, so you wouldn't get it."  
  
"I hate you!"  
  
"I kazoo you, too."  
  
The boy got that adorable, confused frown on his face. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Go to bed, Ryou."  
  
He stormed off, and I vaguely heard him slam his door.  
**You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
You don't want me there  
  
You just shut me out  
  
You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
If you had your way you'd just shut me up  
  
Make me go away**  
I collapsed on the couch and glared at the unoffending ceiling. "This is all your fault," I informed it. I think it actually managed to give me a bewildered look.  
  
The phone rang, startlingly loud in the silence. I grabbed at it, debated letting it ring just to annoy Ryou, and finally picked it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey," Mai said. "Can we talk about the bet?"  
  
"Oh...that. Uh, sure, if you really want to."  
  
"I've been thinking, and the whole thing is kind of juvenile. And we're not little kids anymore, so we should try to resolve this on a more adult level."  
  
I sighed. "Mai, dear, you lost. Just give up already."  
  
"But I never lose anything! Except, well, the occasional duel with Yugi and company. And that Eliminator guy on the island. And that contest in eighth grade...okay, so I lose plenty of things. But the terms aren't fair."  
  
"Yeah, I'll say. I have to change if you win, remember, and all you have to do is...well, I don't think we spelled any of that out."  
  
"No, we didn't. We rushed into all of it, which is why I think we just need to chill out and forget it."  
  
I ran my hand through my hair. "Mai. Just listen to yourself. You're panicking over - what? A stupid bet? Fine. We'll call it quits. You can break up with Joey, I can stay just the way I like it, and nobody loses anything."  
  
"Yeah. Um, thanks. Bye."  
  
"Bye," I whispered, hanging up and flopping back onto the couch. "I hate you," I said to the ceiling. "No, I kazoo you. I double-hate you."  
  
I wasn't even sure who I was talking to.  
**You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
You don't want me there  
  
You just shut me out  
  
You don't know me  
  
Don't ignore me  
  
If you had your way you'd just shut me up  
  
Make me go away  
  
Make me go away  
  
Make me go away**  
I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried, so I snuck into Ryou's bedroom and scared him half to death by jumping onto his bed and screaming, in Egyptian, "The roof is on fire!"  
  
"What the hell do you want?" he shrieked.  
  
I bounced on the bed, doing my best to sound nonchalant.  
  
"Can we get a cat?" 


	5. Mobile

Chapter Five: Mobile  
  
~~Yugi's POV~~  
  
"I'm afraid," Ryou whispered into the phone.  
  
"Yeah?" I asked, yawning. "Ryou, it's three in the morning, what's wrong? Is your Yami beating you up or something?"  
  
"No, it's much, much worse than that. He's been bouncing on my bed for the last hour, begging for a cat."  
  
"A /what/?"  
  
"Yugi, please, I need to talk to your Yami."  
  
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Since I knew perfectly well that he would eventually talk me into it, I gave up right away and went down the hall to fetch my Yami.  
  
Yami is not a morning person. He never was, and never will be. Thus, he was not happy when I told him that Ryou was having problems with his Yami.  
  
"I'm going to tear that tomb robber into tiny little pieces," Yami growled into the phone. I ran downstairs to pick up the extension.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Ryou asked.  
  
"I don't know! He probably wants to conduct some kind of evil experiment on it."  
  
"Oh, ew. I didn't think of that. Hey, he's gone."  
  
"No, I'm here," Bakura said. "In the kitchen, fixing the cupboards."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with our cupboards."  
  
"Sure there is. The wallpaper stuff is pink in there. That's definitely wrong."  
  
"What do you want a cat for?" Yami asked in an I'm-going-to-hurt-you-if-you- don't-answer-me sort of voice.  
  
At the same time, Ryou said, "Leave our cupboards alone!"  
  
"Well, hikari, I'd love to, but it's so disgusting I can't sleep. And as for you, pharaoh, I was going to train it to claw your eyes out, but for the time being, I just wanted it to keep me company and perhaps use the ceiling as a scratching post."  
  
By now, I was hopelessly lost.  
**Went back home again  
  
This sucks, gotta pack up and leave again  
  
Say goodbye to all my friends  
  
Can't say when I'll be there again  
  
It's time now to turn around  
  
Turn my back on everything  
  
Turn my back on everything**  
"All right," I said before my friend, my Yami, and my...acquaintance could unleash the power of cursing on each other. "Ryou, pink is wrong, so I suggest you /do/ change the wallpaper...stuff...in your cupboards. Make it purple."  
  
"Or blue," Yami added.  
  
"Right. Yami, please don't kill Ryou's Yami, because I think a cat would be good for him. As for you, Bakura, uh...we can go shopping tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow never comes," he said cryptically. "Anyway, if you're talking about yesterday's tomorrow, that's today, since it's past midnight."  
  
Bewildered, I said the only thing that came to mind. "Yeah, okay."  
  
"And quit calling me 'Bakura,'" he added. "If anything, you will address me as 'tomb thief.'"  
  
"Grave robber," Yami muttered.  
  
"Sure, that works, pharaoh. Okay, I'm going to go to sleep. We can go to the pet store at nine, which is when it opens!"  
  
The phone clicked as he hung up, and we all tried to talk at once. After a frightening moment of not being able to understand what anyone was saying, including myself, I said loudly, "Calm down!"  
  
For three seconds, all three of us were silent. Then Ryou said, "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Maybe he's finally changing for the better!"  
  
"Yugi, I appreciate the optimism," Yami said, "but the grave robber will never change. End of story. He's got to have an ulterior motive."  
**Everything's changing when I turn around  
  
All out of my control  
  
I'm a mobile  
  
Everything's changing when I turn around  
  
All out of my control  
  
I'm a mobile**  
After a few moments of listening to Ryou and Yami argue, I quietly hung up and stumbled up to bed.  
  
The next morning at eight forty-five, our doorbell rang, startling me out of the deepest sleep I've ever experienced. By the time I was up and dressed, Yami had already answered the door and was holding Bakura's arm in a death grip.  
  
"Let him go," I moaned, waving my hand at my Yami.  
  
"But he wanted to..."  
  
"I don't really care what he wanted to do. Let's just go buy the stupid cat."  
  
Yami declined to join us, so I was alone with Bakura as we walked the five blocks to the pet store. By the third block, I was in a much better mood.  
  
"So, where's Ryou?" I asked.  
  
"He's still asleep. Gods, I can't wait. Can we run? Can we? Please?"  
  
I almost stopped dead in my tracks, but thought better of it. "You just said please."  
  
"Yeah, sure, why not? Now can we hurry up?"  
  
"Why...do you want a cat?"  
  
The tomb robber shrugged. "I like cats. Haven't had one in five thousand years."  
  
At the time I was sure I was going insane. Things just got a whole lot weirder when we arrived at the pet store.  
**Start back at this life  
  
Stretch myself back into the vibe  
  
I'm waking up to say I've tried  
  
Instead of waking up to another TV Guide  
  
It's time now to turn around  
  
Turn and walk on this crazy ground  
  
Oh oh**  
I stood around in my state of confusion while Bakura ran eagerly from one cat to another. I wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but apparently he found it, because after twenty minutes of deliberation, he bought a kitten. I had nearly managed to fall asleep standing up, so the first time I met her, she scratched my arm and meowed loudly at me.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that," Bakura said cheerfully, cuddling the little creature. I have to admit, she was adorable. She was dark brown, very nearly black, with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen.  
  
"She's beautiful," I whispered, tentatively patting her head with my uninjured arm.  
  
"I know," Bakura said. "Her name is Atenna, my own personal feminine version of Aten, the sun-god."  
  
"I thought Ra was the sun-god of Egypt."  
  
"Yeah, for awhile, but then one of the pharaohs introduced a new form of sun-worship with the god Aten."  
  
I gently stroked Atenna's head. She used her little tiny paws to grab my finger and bite it, which didn't hurt as much as the scratch. Okay, so I thought she was cute. Okay, so the tomb robber has good taste. So sue me.  
**Everything's changing when I turn around  
  
All out of my control  
  
I'm a mobile  
  
Everything's changing out of what I know  
  
Everywhere I go  
  
I'm a mobile  
  
I'm a mobile**  
We walked back to my house, Bakura carrying Atenna on his shoulder, one hand protectively keeping her there.  
  
"Um, Bakura?"  
  
"Yeah?" he replied, concentrating mostly on extracting his finger from Atenna's grip.  
  
"I was wondering...why do you want a cat?"  
  
He shrugged, a motion that caused Atenna to pitch forward, landing on his waiting arm. "I like cats."  
  
"But why now? Why wake Ryou up at three in the morning?"  
  
"To torture him?"  
  
I gave him the friendliest glare I could manage under the circumstances. "That's not true."  
  
He glanced up, and for a moment, I could have sworn he actually was Ryou. Usually, it's easy to tell the difference, since Ryou is much more open and warm, and his Yami is so cold and aloof. But not then.  
  
"You want the truth? The truth is...I lost something last night, and I needed someone to replace them. It."  
  
We were silent for another block. Seeing my house coming up, I stopped walking.  
  
"You know, Bakura, I'm your friend. You can talk to me."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "When you find those Monopoly pieces, then I'll consider you an honorary friend, all right?"  
  
"Hey, we were justified in hiding those. You scared the...you scared us."  
  
"Uh huh..."  
  
Atenna yowled, digging her miniature claws into his arm. He winced, gently lifting her off. I had never seen him like this before.  
  
"You are so miserable," I informed him. "And it's so obvious." I smiled. I just couldn't help it. "Go home, Bakura. Play with your cat. And whatever you lost...I hope you find it again."  
  
"I don't think so," he said softly. "See you later, Yugi."  
  
"Yeah. Bye."  
**Hanging from the ceiling  
  
Life's a mobile  
  
Spinning round with mixed feelings  
  
Crazy and wild  
  
Sometimes I wanna scream out loud**  
The moment I stepped into my house, Yami grabbed me and dragged me inside, slamming the door.  
  
"Is he following you?"  
  
"God, Yami," I said, collapsing on the couch. "Don't do that."  
  
He perched on the arm of the couch, staring at me. "How'd you get that scratch on your arm? Was it him?"  
  
I glanced at the scratch, which I now noticed was bleeding rather profusely. "No, that was Atenna. The cat."  
  
"Hmph." Yami went into the bathroom to get the gauze, while I grabbed some Kleenex and started wiping the blood off.  
  
"I think you're too hard on him," I called, pressing the tissue closer to my arm, which stung and did very little to slow the bleeding.  
  
Yami reappeared with adhesive bandages and some of that weird stuff that stings badly and supposedly cleans out the wound. "No way. Nothing is too hard on him."  
  
"He's so sad," I said, biting my lip to keep from screaming as Yami applied the stinging liquid.  
  
"Sad? He doesn't have feelings, hikari. Just forget about it."  
  
"I can't," I murmured, completely ignoring anything further that my Yami did to my arm. I was still dead tired, so I managed to fall asleep despite the pain.  
**Everything's changing  
  
Everywhere I go  
  
All out of my control  
  
Everything's changing  
  
Everywhere I go  
  
Out of what I know  
  
Yeah yeah yeah**  
When I woke up, it was past noon and the only person present was myself. I found a note from Yami on the table - "We went to have lunch at that restaurant where Mai works. Come when you get up."  
  
So I took a shower and went.  
  
Ryou and his Yami were there. Ryou sported a nasty cut above one eye, apparently from Atenna, who was sleeping in Bakura's lap. Joey was being comforted by Tea.  
  
"Mai broke up with me this morning," he said tearfully when I sat down.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Joey," I said, not really knowing what else to say. "Is she working today?"  
  
"No," he said, sniffling and burying his head in Tea's shoulder.  
  
"I'll go find her," I said sympathetically. "I'll talk to her. Maybe it was a mistake."  
  
"No," Bakura said, his brown eyes fixed on Atenna.  
  
We all stared at him. The "What?" that followed was unanimous.  
  
"No, /I'll/ go talk to her," he said, getting up and leaving before anyone could say anything.  
  
Ryou spoke first. "Excuse my language, but what the hell is wrong with him?"  
  
"I don't know," I answered. "But he's changing. And it's probably for the better."  
  
"Yeah," Yami snorted. "It's not like it could get worse."  
**Everything's changing when I turn around  
  
All out of my control  
  
I'm a mobile  
  
Everything's changing out of what I know  
  
Everywhere I go  
  
I'm a mobile  
  
Everywhere I go  
  
I'm a mobile** 


	6. I'm With You

Chapter Six: I'm With You  
  
~~Mai's POV~~  
  
It was not by accident that sunset found me standing on the oldest, most potentially dangerous bridge in the park. I was actually there hoping to win a bet. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm an obsessive gambler or whatever, but this bet had been on for nearly a year, and I was determined to win /something/.  
  
About seven of my friends and I had placed fifty dollars on when the old bridge would collapse. In my relief over worming my way out of the bet with Bakura, I had been reminded of /this/ bet. I had been sure that the bridge would break on or near the American Independence Day of this year. That's the fourth of July, I believe. And as that was only a few weeks away...  
  
I jumped on the bridge, quite satisfied with the harsh creaking sound. Well, of course I wasn't intending to fall /with/ it. I'm not /stupid/.  
  
I almost wished Joey would show up. He had sounded pretty depressed when I broke up with him. Then again, maybe it was just the shock that /anyone/ could resist him.  
  
There was another young man I was interested in talking to, but not for reasons anywhere /near/ those I had for talking to Joey. Like, no way.  
**I'm standing on the bridge  
  
I'm waiting in the dark  
  
I thought that you'd be here by now  
  
There's nothing but the rain  
  
No footsteps on the ground  
  
I'm listening but there's no sound**  
As the sun set, it started to get colder. Not too cold, of course, but cold enough to make me wish I had brought my jacket along. And where was Joey? What about Yugi and his Yami? Or even Tea? I kept expecting them to show up and beg me to take him back or something just as stupid, but it apparently wasn't happening.  
  
The bridge creaked and swayed alarmingly. I grabbed the rail and glared at Bakura, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"What are you doing here?" I moaned, trying to get over my brief moment of fear and weakness.  
  
"I came to find you."  
  
There was a shockingly loud meow from nearby. "Jeez, was that a cat?"  
  
"Yes, that was Atenna-Rana. My cat."  
  
I stared at him, trying to make out the form of a cat anywhere on or near him. "You have a cat?"  
  
"I do now."  
  
Against my better judgment, I stepped closer to him, wincing as the wood shrieked under my feet. "Can I hold her?"  
  
There was a flash of pale skin and dark fur as he placed the kitten in my outstretched arms. Her warm body did a great deal to assuage my coldness, although when she turned those green eyes on me, it was sort of creepy.  
**Isn't anyone trying to find me?  
  
Won't somebody come take me home?  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are, but I...  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you**  
I snuggled Atenna for a moment, then handed her back to Bakura and resumed my leaning position against the railing. "So. Why'd you come looking for me?"  
  
"To prevent everyone else from doing so," he murmured. "Yugi was all set to prove that it was some kind of mistake."  
  
I snorted, which is very unladylike but satisfying all the same. "He's so naive," I muttered. "How can dumping someone be a mistake?"  
  
"Seriously? I have no clue." He joined me in leaning on the railing, which tilted forward a few degrees with a squeak. "It's kinda dark."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed."  
  
"And this bridge is kinda old."  
  
"I know. I'm trying to make it collapse." I vaguely saw the funny look he gave me. "Jeez, of course I don't intend to go down with it! God, I'm not suicidal..."  
  
"Just checking."  
**I'm looking for a place  
  
I'm searching for a face  
  
Is anybody here I know?  
  
'Cause nothing's going right  
  
And everything's a mess  
  
And no one likes to be alone**  
I stared down at the river below us. "How deep do you think it is?"  
  
He leaned further over. The railing gave an alarming crack, which didn't seem to faze the tomb robber. "I'd say a good ten feet at least." He turned around and examined the bridge. "They should've torn this down years ago."  
  
"Yeah, I know. But everyone knows not to walk on it." He gave me another look. "Stop doing that!"  
  
"Well, you're just not making much sense tonight."  
  
"I'm depressed. I have every right to be incoherent."  
  
There was a moment of silence. "Why would /you/ be depressed? You broke up with someone who we both agree was bad for you."  
  
"Yeah, but still. He was my first crush." More silence, except for the bridge creaking slightly under our weight. "Why did you come?"  
  
"I told you, to - "  
  
"No, the real reason."  
**Isn't anyone trying to find me  
  
Won't somebody come take me home?  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are, but I...  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you  
  
Yeah yeah**  
"The real reason?"  
  
I nodded, quite sure that he could see me, even in the increasing darkness.  
  
"Well, really...I missed you. I missed talking to you all the time about the bet and stuff."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "It's only been a day."  
  
"Hey, I went and bought Atenna nine hours after we ended the bet. Know why? Because I lo - I miss you."  
  
"You what?"  
  
He tried in vain to pretend that he hadn't slipped up there. I think he forgot momentarily that I'm a great deal smarter than I let people think. "You /love/ me?"  
  
"That's not what I said. I said I - "  
  
"And you bought a cat for me?"  
  
"Not for you. She's my cat." He hugged her close in apprehension.  
  
"That's so sweet!"  
  
"I just - it's what?"  
  
Even the tomb robber can be adorable when he's confused.  
**Oh, why is everything so confusing?  
  
Maybe I'm just out of my mind  
  
Yeah yeah yeah  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are, but I...  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you**  
Before I could allow my better judgment to make a decision, I hugged Bakura as hard as I could, given that there was a cat in between us. Even so, Atenna yowled. Bakura let go, and she dropped to the ground, where she wound herself around my foot. I didn't even care, lost in the closeness of the tomb robber.  
  
"I did miss you," he murmured into my hair. I grinned and looked up at him, suddenly noticing that he was taller than I was. It's amazing, the little things one notices when one isn't thinking rationally.  
  
"I missed you, too."  
  
And then he kissed me, a lot gentler than I would've expected had it been, say, a week ago. A week ago, I would have pulled away, maybe hit him. But it wasn't a week ago, was it?  
  
So I kissed back.  
**Take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are, but I...  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you**  
I know it sounds remarkably cliche, but that kiss was downright electric. It sent a chill down my spine, but was at the same time extremely warm. I felt light-headed and lost all track of time...until Atenna poked me. With claws extended.  
  
"Ah, shit," I said, pulling away and picking the cat up before she could do further harm. "I think I'm bleeding..."  
  
"Sorry," Bakura said, taking Atenna from me.  
  
"Don't apologize for your cat." After a quick inspection of my ankle, I let my eyes slide upward to meet his. "That was...interesting."  
  
"Warm," he said, touching his lips thoughtfully.  
  
"Mai?" a way-too-familiar voice called. I stared up at the sky in sudden depression.  
  
"Joey..."  
  
Bakura shook his fist at the stars. "I hate you!" he called. "C'mon, we can still escape before he gets here." He squinted into the darkness, where we could barely see assorted flashlight beams coming toward us. "Him and the rest of the weakling brigade..."  
**Take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are, but I...  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you**  
I took a single step and screamed as my foot plunged through a particularly weak spot in the wooden planks. Bakura grabbed my arm, and I grit my teeth in sudden pain.  
  
"Hang on," he said calmly. "The others will be here in just a sec..."  
  
I let go of him with one hand and reached for the railing. It hurt like hell to drag my leg out of the hole in the bridge.  
  
"God," I moaned, staggering to my feet. "Let's get out of here before something worse happens."  
  
The flashlights turned toward us, making me blink at the sudden onslaught of light. "Caught," Bakura said. He set Atenna on his shoulder. "I can carry you, if you can't walk."  
  
"I'm fine." Actually, it still hurt, and mentally I was running through my extensive vocabulary of swear words.  
  
We started off the other way. I barely took one step before my leg gave out and I snatched at the railing, which crumbled in my hand. I grabbed at Bakura, and only succeeded in pulling him and Atenna into the river with me, along with most of the bridge. A piece of wood crashed into my head, sending me spiralling into darkness and cold. 


	7. Complicated

Chapter Seven: Complicated  
  
~~Bakura's POV~~  
  
You know what? Nature sucks.  
  
Our unexpected plunge into the river caused Atenna to dig her claws into my back and emit a godawful yowling sound. I lost hold of Mai as we crashed into the water.  
  
Okay, so it wasn't exactly a raging river, but with all that old, splintery wood floating around, it also wasn't the safest place on Earth. Not to mention that I am /Egyptian/. I never had the occasion to learn how to swim as a...well, I guess you'd say non-spirit. Anyway, I learned fairly quickly that if you kick the water and wave your arms around, it keeps your head mostly in the air.  
  
"Get off, Atenna!" I yelled as soon as I had enough breath to speak. She hissed at me and climbed onto my head, one claw drawing a shallow but extremely painful line down my cheek. I kicked harder, freeing my hands up to yank her off and throw her onto the bank.  
  
After a few agonizing moments, Mai surfaced, blood streaming from an ugly- looking scrape on her head. She coughed and flailed about. I made my way over to her, avoiding a dangerous piece of the bridge, and caught hold of her arm. "Um, Mai? How do we get out of the river?"  
  
She leaned her head against me, treading water frantically. "We swim, you...dear, sweet thing. Away from all of them."  
  
Them, of course, referring to our friends, who show up at the worst times and were currently pointing assorted flashlights at us and shouting what I assumed was some kind of encouragement. I couldn't hear much with water in my ears.  
  
Mai coughed again and dragged me away from the light, a rather symbolic gesture, I guess, although the situation was far from fatal. I tried to help by kicking and hitting the water. Swimming seems violent, somehow. It's a good thing water is inanimate.  
**Chill out, whatcha yelling for  
  
Lay back, it's all been done before  
  
And if you could only let it be  
  
You will see  
  
I like you the way you are  
  
When we're driving in your car  
  
And you're talking to me one on one  
  
But you become**  
We managed to drag ourselves out of the water. Mai immediately collapsed, her hand pressed to her head. I turned to glare across the water at our "friends."  
  
"The lights aren't helping," I called. The lights went out. Well, at least in their concern they were willing to listen to me. "Does someone have my cat?"  
  
"Yes," the pharaoh said. "And she's not very nice."  
  
"Just don't corrupt her," I said, turning to Mai. At some point, the moon had put in an appearance, so I could actually see her. "You okay?"  
  
"No," she groaned. "Head hurts. Leg hurts. Cold and wet. Are the lights gone?"  
  
"Yeah, you can open your eyes." I brushed a strand of her soaked hair out of her face, a gesture that for some reason made her smile at me. Girls are /so/ weird...  
  
"You're so cute," she murmured.  
  
"Yeah, and loss of blood is making you delusional," I said. "Keep in mind that sound carries across water, all right? They can hear us."  
  
"So?"  
  
I lowered my voice. "So we don't want to tip them off as to what...uh...happened. Before."  
  
She sat up, her hand pressed against the scrape. "Duh. I should have thought of that. Sorry. You're right, I'm delusional. Let's get the cat and run away now."  
  
I shook my head, surprised at just how silly she was being. "You're in no condition to run anywhere, Mai."  
  
"Then you can carry me. You suggested it, before."  
  
"Yes, I did. That was before they got close enough to be able to see us."  
**Somebody else 'round everyone else  
  
You're watching your back like you can't relax  
  
You're trying to be cool  
  
You look like a fool to me  
  
Tell me**  
"You're an idiot," Mai informed me. Across the river, the pathetic weaklings we call our "friends" were apparently having some difficulty with the cat. Rock on, Atenna. "What's wrong with them knowing about us?"  
  
"You broke up with Joey this morning, dear. Knowing the pharaoh, he'll persuade the others that I brainwashed you or some such lunacy."  
  
"So I'll tell them the truth."  
  
"What reason do they have to trust either of us?"  
  
Mai laughed and we both managed to get to our feet. She buried her face in my chest, which was adorable but definitely would have given us away. "So, how are we supposed to get back across the river?" I asked, gently pushing her away. "We've got to grab my cat and assure our so-called friends that we're alive and relatively uninjured."  
  
She showed me the blood on her hand. "I don't think this is 'relatively uninjured.'"  
  
I rolled my eyes and turned to glare at the others. "Ryou, take my cat home and feed her. I'm going to make sure Mai gets home safely."  
  
They held a whispered conversation, then apparently deemed me a worthy guardian. "All right," my hikari called. "See you later, Yami."  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
As we walked away - excuse me, I walked, she limped - Mai shook her head and made that annoying tsking sound. "Sure, you're sweet around me, but you can't manage a civil word with them."  
  
"They treat me the same way. Eye for an eye."  
  
I thought I saw the ghost of a grin, but it was too dark to be certain.  
**Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
  
See, the way you're acting like you're somebody else  
  
Gets me frustrated  
  
Life's like this, you fall and you crawl and you break and you take  
  
What you get and you turn it into  
  
Honesty  
  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
  
No no no**  
As soon as I was absolutely /positive/ that the pathetic weaklings couldn't see us, I slid my arm around Mai's shoulders and let her lean on me, which I expect greatly alleviated her pain. She grinned and gave me directions to her house, which turned out to be only a few blocks from mine. I mean, from Ryou's house, where I happen to live. Yeah.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered when we arrived. She dug in her pocket, came up with a key, and opened the door. "You want to come in?"  
  
"Fine." Actually, I was a bit nervous. Girls don't just...invite you in. Not in Egypt.  
  
She turned on several lights and collapsed onto the couch. "Can you get the bandages and stuff from the bathroom?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, princess," I muttered less than enthusiastically. Typical Mai, expecting me to do /everything/ for her. I fetched the first aid kit and knelt on the floor beside the couch, handing her a wet cloth. "You, uh...have to wipe off the blood."  
  
"I know, hon. Don't baby me."  
  
"Right. Well."  
  
With the blood gone, her numerous scratches weren't so bad. The stinging stuff she made me apply was. I think I actually blushed. I'm just not used to helping people, I suppose - especially people who have kissed me. Ack. Blushing again. Don't even want to think about that right now...  
  
Finally, we put assorted Band-Aids on her cuts and scrapes, and she proceeded to fall asleep, leaving me in quite an awkward position. I kissed her on the forehead and got out of there as quickly as I possibly could.  
**You come over unannounced  
  
Dressed up like you're something else  
  
Where you are ain't where it's at, you see  
  
You're making me  
  
Laugh out when you strike your pose  
  
Take off all your preppy clothes  
  
You know you're not fooling anyone  
  
When you become  
  
Somebody else 'round everyone else  
  
You're watching your back like you can't relax  
  
You're trying to be cool  
  
You look like a fool to me  
  
Tell me**  
When I got home, Ryou was still waiting up. Well, at least, I could tell that he had tried, since the lights were on and he was asleep on the couch with the TV muted. I tried to tiptoe past, intending to steal his bed for the night, but I am cursed with a hikari who sleeps very lightly.  
  
"Your cat's sleeping on the table," he muttered drowsily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Where've you been?"  
  
"Taking Mai home, you know that."  
  
He stared at me. "If it was /me/ who fell in, you wouldn't have walked /me/ home."  
  
"Sure I would have."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I couldn't get out of it. I live here, too."  
  
He threw a pillow at me, then cringed, half-expecting me to hit him, I suppose. Well, it felt good to throw my rule-book out the window, so I instead offered, "I could make some popcorn. There's a good movie on tonight. It's Shakespearean."  
  
"Shakespeare. You want to watch Shakespeare? He's famous. He wrote good literature."  
  
"Well...the movie is called 'The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.' I hear it's really bloody."  
  
Ryou sighed. "Fine. Popcorn. And could you get me a blanket while you're at it?"  
  
I did. It was worth being nice just to see the utter confusion on his face.  
**Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
  
See, the way you're acting like you're somebody else  
  
Gets me frustrated  
  
Life's like this, you fall and you crawl and you break and you take  
  
What you get and you turn it into  
  
Honesty  
  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
  
No no no**  
I didn't get to see Mai for a whole week, because Ryou's father was going to be home and Ryou hadn't /quite/ gotten around to telling him about me. Thus, I had to spend some time inside the Ring, which was unpleasant, to say the least. Having a semi-physical body for awhile had been nice, and Mai had...well, she'd made me forget that I was a spirit, while we were kissing.  
  
It was nice.  
  
Finally, Ryou poked me with his mind. //He's gone, Yami. You can come out now.//  
  
I could sense the sorrow in his 'voice.' It was hard on the kid, having a father who was away most of the time. That made me his guardian. Sort of. In a way.  
  
So, I 'checked' my rule-book and discovered that I was not allowed to show any sort of kindness to him - only cynicism. Thus, as we are now disregarding the rule-book, I resolved to do something nice for him.  
  
"Hey, hikari, wanna go see a movie? I'll buy. For you and your friends."  
  
He stared at me over the top of the book he was reading. "Are you sick, Yami?"  
  
"Nah...I've just got some money I don't need."  
  
"Where would /you/ get money?"  
  
"Working." Well, if you could call beating up some /very/ rude teenagers and taking their wallets work.  
  
"You're serious."  
  
"Duh. I never joke."  
  
"You're a complicated guy, Yami, you know that?"  
**Chill out, whatcha yelling for  
  
Lay back, it's all been done before  
  
And if you could only let it be  
  
You will see  
  
Somebody else 'round everyone else  
  
You're watching your back like you can't relax  
  
You're trying to be cool  
  
You look like a fool to me  
  
Tell me**  
As it turned out, everyone was free that day, including - joy - Mai, and also - despair - the Pharaoh. And the pathetic weakling. Sigh.  
  
I don't even know what the movie was called. I let them pick it out, accepted their dubious thanks, and proceeded to sneak out ten minutes in. As I'd intended, Mai followed me.  
  
"Ryou says /you/ bought the tickets," she said, leaning against the wall.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I just did, that's all."  
  
"But you bought Yami's ticket. I mean Yugi's Yami," she added when she saw how confused I was. "Jeez, don't you have a name I can call you by?"  
  
I shrugged. "Look, I don't know how much Yugi told you, but our memories of the past are basically gone. Mostly. I've got more than Yugi, but I can't for the life of me remember my name. That's just the way it goes. You could call me Bakura. Everyone else does."  
  
She shuddered. "Doesn't fit. That's what we call Ryou, sometimes. That's even /more/ confusing. Couldn't you make up a name?"  
  
"Mm...no."  
**Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
  
See the way you're acting like you're somebody else  
  
Gets me frustrated  
  
Life's like this, you fall and you crawl and you break and you take  
  
What you get and you turn it into  
  
Honesty  
  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
  
No no**  
I glanced down and noticed that she was wearing jeans for the first time since I'd met her. Usually she wore a skirt intended to show off as much skin as possible. "Are you trying to hide the bandages?"  
  
She flushed. "Um, yeah. Kind of. I mean, that doesn't work for me. I'm the perfect, pretty one, they can't know I've been injured."  
  
"I think they noticed, Mai."  
  
She sighed. "Um...Bakura...tomb thief...whatever. Where does our relationship stand?"  
  
Now /there/ is an uncomfortable topic. I quickly changed it. "Do you think they'll rebuild the bridge?"  
  
"I asked you a question."  
  
"The truth is, I have no idea where we are. Is that okay with you?"  
  
A wicked gleam entered her eyes, and I tried to back away. Luckily, the lobby was devoid of people, since the next movie wasn't starting for almost an hour. The guy behind the counter was reading a comic and didn't notice when she pounced on me. We crashed to the carpeted floor, kissing. I mean, she kissed me. I wasn't /trying/ to kiss back. These things just happen, you know?  
  
When we pulled apart, she sat up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Where were you this week?"  
  
"It's...complicated."  
  
"/You're/ complicated."  
  
She pulled me up, then kissed me again. I awkwardly slipped my arms around her waist.  
  
We were interrupted by a soft shriek and a clunk as the empty bucket of popcorn hit the ground. We immediately leapt apart, Mai smoothing her shirt, me fiddling with my hair. I laughed nervously.  
  
"Hi...hikari."  
**Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
  
See the way you're acting like you're somebody else  
  
Gets me frustrated  
  
Life's like this, you fall and you crawl and you break and you take  
  
What you get and you turn it into  
  
Honesty  
  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
  
No no no** 


	8. Anything But Ordinary

Chapter Eight: Anything But Ordinary  
  
~~Ryou's POV~~  
  
My Yami scares me. I admit this because it is terribly, horribly true. He scared me when he was evil, he scared me when he saved me in Battle City, and now here he was, making out with Joey's ex-girlfriend in the lobby of a movie theater. And guess what? That scared me.  
  
"What are you doing?" I half-shrieked, retrieving the popcorn bucket. I made no move to go get it refilled.  
  
"I...we...uh...she started it!" Yami accused, pointing at Mai.  
  
"What? It was all /your/ idea!"  
  
"As I recall, /you/ jumped on /me/."  
  
I waved my hands to get them to notice me. "Hey, I don't care who started it, because I know who started it. Yami, you brainwashed her, didn't you?"  
  
I expected him to yell at me. He didn't. He just crossed his arms and smirked at me. "You think I can't get a girl without magic?"  
  
I nodded, then realized my mistake. He would probably hurt me tonight as punishment. Although he had been really nice lately...  
  
Mai stepped in before we could draw anyone else's attention. "Ryou, it's not his fault. It's mine. Really."  
  
"You're saying that because he brainwashed you to say that."  
  
Yami rolled his eyes. "My dear hikari, you need to get a life. And popcorn."  
  
"Not until you let her go! You really hurt Joey!"  
  
"But he hasn't brainwashed me."  
  
"Oh, that cheater deserved it!"  
  
Luckily for all of us, he chose that moment to disappear, presumably back into the Ring. I bit back an angered yell, and Mai stumbled, as she had chosen that precise moment to lean against him. We were left staring at each other.  
  
"Magic," she said finally.  
  
"Uh-huh. Magic."  
  
She stared at the Ring, which was glowing faintly. "Wow. Magic."  
  
**Sometimes I get so weird  
  
I even freak myself out  
  
I laugh myself to sleep  
  
It's my lullaby  
  
Sometimes I drive so fast  
  
Just to feel the danger  
  
I want to scream  
  
It makes me feel alive**  
  
I took the empty bucket to the counter, and while it was being refilled, I turned to Mai. "Are you serious? He didn't do anything to you? You were with him of your own free will?"  
  
She giggled. "Of course, Ryou." Then she continued her scrutinizing of my Ring. "Did he go...in there?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Wow," she repeated, taking the bucket.  
  
We walked back toward the theater. "He'll probably stay in there for a few days," I predicted.  
  
Almost immediately, Yami reappeared. This caused both of us to jump. Mai dropped the popcorn, and all three of us dove to catch it, leaving us in a tangled heap on the ground, the popcorn...well, everywhere.  
  
The bucket ended up on my head. Yami took advantage of my temporary blindness to kiss Mai. I know, because I tilted it up in time to see him pull away. Scary stuff, I tell you.  
  
Sometimes I think I'd be better off without the Ring...just an ordinary, nonmagical kid.  
  
**Is it enough to love?  
  
Is it enough to breathe?  
  
Somebody rip my heart out  
  
And leave me here to bleed  
  
Is it enough to die?  
  
Somebody save my life  
  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**  
  
I tossed the bucket to the side. "Now what?" I asked. "The others are expecting popcorn, and I'm out of money."  
  
"Oh, for Chrissakes," Yami muttered, fumbling in his pockets. He pulled out some yen and threw it at me. "That should be enough, and some to spare."  
  
"Why? Are you bribing me to leave you alone?"  
  
He raised his eyebrows. "Are you accusing me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right, then it is a bribe. What's it to you?"  
  
I sighed and chose not to answer, returning instead to the counter to buy a new bucket of popcorn. Mai and Yami returned to their previous activities. I chose to ignore them, this time.  
  
"What took ya so long?" Joey whispered when I sat down. I immediately blushed, although it was too dark for him to see me.  
  
"Nothing! Long line." I nodded to myself and pretended to watch the movie, although any enjoyment of it was gone.  
  
Now what was I supposed to do? I knew about Yami and Mai. I couldn't very well tell anyone, because if Joey ever found out, he would probably attempt to hurt my Yami, which is impossible, and I didn't want Joey getting himself in trouble. Maybe I could convince Mai to dump Yami. Or vice versa. No, Yami would stay with her just to spite me. A car exploded on the screen, but I barely noticed, quite busy worrying.  
  
We left the theater, and I looked around wildly for Yami and Mai. Both had vanished; the only people in the lobby were those who had been watching the movie with us, and a teenager sweeping up the popcorn.  
  
"Ryou, are you all right?"  
  
I jumped about three feet and blushed, staring at Yugi with the most innocent expression I could muster. "What? Yes. Fine."  
  
"Where's Mai?" Tea asked, looking back into the theater.  
  
"Good question," Yugi's Yami said. He looked at me, and I blushed again. "Where is the spirit of the Ring?"  
  
I laughed. "Funny story. He...um...decided that he didn't...like the movie...so he went home. And that's where I should go. Before he...um...burns down the house. Bye!"  
  
For some reason, I think they suspected that I was lying.  
  
**To walk within the lines  
  
Would make my life so boring  
  
I want to know that I have been  
  
To the extreme  
  
So knock me off my feet  
  
Come on now, give it to me  
  
Anything to make me feel alive**  
  
There wasn't any sign of Yami when I got home. I was horrified at the mere thought that he was still with Mai, deceiving her into believing that he cared. Then I found him, lying under the bed and watching several ants dragging cookie crumbs around.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting down on the floor and ducking my head to peer at him.  
  
"Thinkin' about stuff," he replied absently. "Right now I'm thinking, this is no longer the quietest place in the house." He stood up, having made himself translucent, and flopped onto the bed, solid again. "You'd think the basement would be quiet, but actually, the washing machine is very loud."  
  
"You're avoiding the issue!"  
  
"I wasn't aware there /was/ an issue."  
  
Before I could safely modify my words, I yelled, "You're in love with Mai! That's an issue!"  
  
He blinked at me. "Why yes, I think those were the words I was looking for. I love her. Can't imagine why I didn't think of that sooner."  
  
No, no, no. This was all wrong! Yami was...a spirit. An Egyptian spirit with a semi-physical body. He simply wasn't allowed to fall in love!  
  
He rolled his eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Millennium Eye, remember?"  
  
"Then stay out of my head!" I shrieked. Upon realizing that I had degenerated into shrieks, I quickly composed myself. "Please, Yami...stay away from real girls. Go find some...spirit girl. Please."  
  
Even though I knew he was probably still tuned to my mind, I couldn't stop the thought. --Because you're just too cruel and dangerous for real people. Any real people. Me included.--  
  
**Is it enough to love?  
  
Is it enough to breathe?  
  
Somebody rip my heart out  
  
And leave me here to bleed  
  
Is it enough to die?  
  
Somebody save my life  
  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please  
  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please**  
  
As soon as I had processed that thought, I tried to take it back. Unfortunately, despite my complaints to the contrary, I'm more or less an ordinary kid. I don't have magic powers. I can't turn back time.  
  
Yami gave me the malicious smirk I hadn't seen in awhile. "I'm going to go play with Atenna," he told me darkly. "If Mai calls, please refrain from speaking to her."  
  
I could tell, even without using the Ring, that I'd hurt his feelings. But...seriously! Even if he had...feelings...for Mai, there was no possibility she liked him that way!  
  
I tried to delude myself into believing myself. Wasn't happening. I rummaged through my extra Duel Monsters cards and found the Time Wizard (which, incidentally, Yami gave me for my last birthday). Sadly, it didn't work in real life. I wanted to go back a thousand, a million years and stop...something. Anything to make life simple again!  
  
**Let down your defenses  
  
Use no common sense  
  
If you look you will see that this world is a  
  
Beautiful, accident, turbulent, succulent, opulent, permanent  
  
No way  
  
I wanna taste it  
  
Don't wanna waste it away**  
  
We all went out for lunch the next day. Joey seemed to be recovering, with help from Tea, Yugi, and Tristan. He refused to speak to Mai. She was still pretending nothing had ever happened. Yami sat at a separate table, muttering darkly to Atenna. I just kept feeling worse and worse about...life in general, I guess.  
  
Yugi was excited about the new tournament being hosted in Battle City. "It's only two months away!" he said. "And /this/ time, maybe we can have some normal games - you know, like the ones before I solved the Puzzle! No offense, Yami," he added.  
  
The former pharaoh smiled at his light. "None taken. I know why you want to play normally. Perhaps I will partake in this tournament..."  
  
So we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the park, trying to come up with an alias for Yami Yugi. It was interesting, I suppose. I kept my eyes and ears on Yami and Mai. They walked together, not touching, only speaking occasionally, too quietly for me to hear.  
  
Great. Now I was reduced to eavesdropping.  
  
**Sometimes I get so weird  
  
I even freak myself out  
  
I laugh myself to sleep  
  
It's my lullaby**  
  
A few weeks passed. Yami didn't speak to me. He generally just played with Atenna. She scratched me whenever I got near her. Gradually, Mai stopped talking with us, although I got calls from her every night, wanting to speak to Yami.  
  
I kinda missed him.  
  
We prepared for the tournament, even though it was still more than a month away. Yugi's Yami started having strange dreams, of his past life. He actually started to remember things. I wanted to ask my Yami if he was having dreams too, but I was too scared. He was obviously upset with me.  
  
Without him, life seemed almost normal. I hated it.  
  
I was just so used to the magic. It wasn't weird anymore that Yami looked almost exactly like me. That life was normal to me. Maybe everyone else would think I had a very weird existence, but I'd been with Yami so long, being alone was more than I could stand. We are, after all, two halves of a whole.  
  
I wondered if he was missing me, too. Probably not, or else he would have broken the silence between us.  
  
Right?  
  
No matter how much fun I had with my friends, swapping cards, building our decks, it wasn't enough. Being ordinary just wasn't enough.  
  
But I couldn't think of a way to make things right.  
  
**Is it enough, is it enough  
  
Is it enough to breathe?  
  
Somebody rip my heart out  
  
And leave me here to bleed  
  
Is it enough to die?  
  
Somebody save my life  
  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please  
  
Is it enough?  
  
Is it enough to die?  
  
Somebody save my life  
  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please  
  
Oh, I'd rather be anything but ordinary, please** 


	9. Naked

Author's Notes: Warning, this chapter contains spoilers for September 13th's episodes, the first round of the Battle City finals, Bakura vs. Yugi. So if you haven't seen them yet, two things: A) Don't read this if you don't want it ruined, and B) See them ASAP, they rock. Anyway, on to the plot, which gets more angsty by the minute.  
  
Chapter Nine: Naked  
  
~~Mai's POV~~  
  
A month passed rapidly for the two of us. For a week or so, we were afraid that Ryou would tell everyone about us, and Joey would get upset. Ryou, however, turned out to be an excellent secret-keeper, aside from the blushing and stammering and lame excuses.  
  
I started staying over at their house most nights. No, we didn't /do/ anything, beyond a little kissing. I swear it. Bakura turned out to be a bit old-fashioned. Little dork, he is.  
  
At the one-month mark from the point where Ryou had discovered us, we met the others in a little coffee-house near the mall. Tea fed Joey caffeine for an hour, then dragged him off for some shopping. I was delighted to discover that her obvious crush on him no longer bothered me.  
  
Ryou and Yami Yugi struck up a conversation about the Shadow Realm, while Tristan and Yugi started trading cards. I quietly slipped out of my seat and into the one next to Bakura, resting my head on his shoulder.  
  
"We could try telling /them/," I said tentatively. "It's just Joey I don't want to know."  
  
"But watching Ryou sweat over the secret is just so much /fun/," he whined. "Besides, I'm not speaking to them."  
  
I poked him. "You are such a dork, Bakura. Why do you hate them so much?"  
  
"They're pathetic, they're annoying - "  
  
"Then why did you save Ryou's life in Battle City?"  
  
He cleared his throat and blushed. I pulled away when I realized that we had an audience - all four of the others. "I was kind of wondering that myself," Ryou said.  
  
"We thought you needed him to survive," Yugi added. "But it turns out that you and Yami both could have split apart from us at any time, like you do now. Yami didn't because he wanted to stay with me and be able to help me all the time. But you - "  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"You," Yugi continued, as though Bakura hadn't said anything, "never particularly liked Ryou's body, did you? I mean, you could have had anyone."  
  
"Yeah," Tristan said. "You can move that Ring around - I threw it off a cliff once, and it was back in a few minutes. With you in it. So why - "  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"You just aren't making any sense, that's all I'm saying."  
  
Yami Yugi nodded, his chin resting on his hand, his eyes glittering with thought. "We would have forfeited, in all probability. Yet you felt the need to step in again, and - "  
  
"I'm dating Mai!"  
  
That finally shut them up. I immediately blushed. He slipped an arm around my shoulders and said, quietly, "I'm dating her."  
  
**I wake up in the morning  
  
Put on my face  
  
The one that's gonna get me  
  
Through another day  
  
Doesn't really matter  
  
How I feel inside  
  
This life is like a game sometimes**  
  
For about a minute, they just stared at us. Tristan looked too furious for words. Yugi and Yami had identical expressions of shock, which might have seemed funny if it weren't for the comical way Ryou was trying frantically to hold Tristan back from leaping at us across the table.  
  
Eventually, Yugi croaked out, "Dating?"  
  
Yami, sounding a great deal more composed, quickly added, "How long?"  
  
Bakura coughed delicately. "I...actually don't remember. More than a month." He cast a sheepish look at me. "Depending, um, on when you consider..."  
  
I tried to smile, but ended up hitting him. "I can't believe you don't remember!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" he squeaked. "I'm an ancient Egyptian spirit, we have memory issues, okay?"  
  
"A month," Yugi said weakly. "And we didn't know...oh, what will Joey say?"  
  
"You can't tell him!" Ryou cried, clinging with a death grip to Tristan's arm. "He'll kill Yami! Just like Tristan's trying to! Tristan, quit it, you're hurting me - "  
  
"So that's why you've been so nice to us lately," Tristan snarled. "You were trying to stop us noticing that you were sneaking around with Joey's girlfriend!"  
  
"I'm not Joey's girlfriend!"  
  
"She's /my/ girlfriend, you moronic - "  
  
"Please stop the fighting!"  
  
"Dating...oh, poor Joey, /what/ is he going to say?"  
  
Yami Yugi somehow managed to remain calm despite the chaos. "Which brings us back to the original point. Ryou, since when do you /care/ if Tristan kills your Yami? I mean, he did control you, almost get you killed, and he's been generally cruel since the day you got the Ring, correct? Excepting the time he saved your life."  
  
"Gah," Bakura muttered. "Why are you harping on that?"  
  
"I'm not," Tristan growled.  
  
"I noticed," Ryou offered.  
  
I sighed wearily. Sometimes being around all that testosterone makes me wonder why exactly I decided to be friends with them. I leaned across the table, grabbed Tristan's collar, and gave him my best glare.  
  
"Tristan Taylor, you will stop threatening my boyfriend /right/ now!"  
  
He blinked and sat down very quickly, almost crushing poor Ryou. "Right. Well. Even if /I/ don't hurt him, you know Joey will - "  
  
"Joey will what?"  
  
All of us, even Yami Yugi, flinched and turned guilty eyes to the doorway, where Joey was struggling with several of Tea's shopping bags. She gave us her most innocent look. "Hi guys, what's up?"  
  
Tristan looked at me, then attempted to grin. "Nothing!" He was echoed by Ryou, Yugi, and Yami. Bakura, however, ducked behind me.  
  
"And you're afraid of him /why/?" I hissed.  
  
"Well, he...I dunno, I...just protect me."  
  
**Then you came around me  
  
The walls just disappeared  
  
Nothing to surround me  
  
Keep me from my fears  
  
I'm unprotected  
  
See how I've opened up  
  
Oh, you've made me trust**  
  
There was some awkward silence, and then I decided that, however much I would have enjoyed the lame excuses, it was probably time to go. "We'll just...be going," I said, shoving Bakura along as I walked toward the other door. "To...er...practice duel...see you tomorrow..."  
  
"Aaugh," Tristan said. "Are they going to - "  
  
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Ryou shrieked, clapping a hand over Tristan's mouth.  
  
We missed the rest, because Bakura threw the door open and we stumbled out, laughing. "Oh, Ra, they're going to /kill/ us," Bakura said.  
  
"Not if we run away to Switzerland!"  
  
We wandered into the park and sat down on a bench. I automatically moved to lean on Bakura, and he stroked my hair.  
  
After some comfortable silence, my curiosity decided that it couldn't wait any longer. "So, why /did/ you save Ryou's life that day?"  
  
"Oh, he wouldn't have /died/," Bakura snapped. "I just - I'm not having this conversation, all right? I'm not like that anymore, I don't control him. Things have changed. I've changed."  
  
"I thought you never changed."  
  
"Well." He blinked. "You, uh, changed me. For the better. Or something."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. You just - I mean, being with you - it's like there's no more secrets. I feel like you know everything, and I don't mind, and oh, Ra, I forgot to feed Atenna, let's go."  
  
He dragged me down the street, then stopped suddenly and ducked behind a car. "Don't look. Joey's trying to find us."  
  
I peered around a tire and saw Joey, accompanied by a panicked Ryou, stalking down the street in the direction of Bakura's house - away from us, luckily. "Ugh."  
  
Bakura slipped a hand into his pocket, closed his eyes, and said in a very depressed tone, "He's got homicide on the brain."  
  
"Ugh," I repeated. "Look - I'll stop him. You need to get to Atenna. I'll call later."  
  
"Unless he kills you."  
  
"Oh, come on, not /everyone/ is as dark and violent as you seem to think."  
  
I emerged and ran after Joey and Ryou. Ryou heard my approach first and half-turned, then gasped and attempted to cover Joey's eyes. It didn't work - Joey saw me.  
  
"You," he said in an emotionless tone.  
  
"I need...to talk to you," I panted, catching up and grabbing Ryou for support while I regained my breath.  
  
"Yeah, well, I - "  
  
"Joey, please. Alone."  
  
Ryou caught sight of Bakura sneaking down the sidewalk and quickly backed away while I dragged Joey back toward the coffee-house.  
  
**'Cause I've never felt like this before  
  
I'm naked around you - does it show?  
  
You see right through me and I can't hide  
  
I'm naked around you  
  
And it feels so right**  
  
Yugi, Yami, Tristan, and Tea were still there. They noticed us, and the look on Joey's face, and decided to leave well enough alone. We took seats near the door, Joey with his back to the others.  
  
"Look," I said, trying to remain calm during the first real conversation I'd had with him since we'd broken up. "Tell me what they told you, first of all."  
  
"You're /dating/ Ryou's Yami," he said. "Is that why you left me? Because of him?"  
  
"No! I left because...God, I told you this. I didn't feel like you cared."  
  
"Oh, and he does?" Joey leaned forward and took my hand, his dark eyes glittering with pain and concern. "Mai, that spirit does not care about anyone but himself. He's bad news. We can't get rid of him, but that doesn't mean we have to like him, and - "  
  
"And I love him."  
  
He stared at me. I couldn't meet his eyes. Right then, I didn't feel like I could look at /anyone/ without blushing bright, tomato red.  
  
"You /liar/."  
  
That wiped away any embarrassment. "What? I'm not lying!"  
  
He pushed his chair back and stood up, trembling with emotion. His eyes were tearing up, and for a moment I almost wanted to comfort him. Almost.  
  
"I love him! He sees me like you never did! And he loves me, too!"  
  
"Oh, really? Did he ever tell you that?"  
  
I became aware that not only were our friends watching, but the few other patrons and the two workers behind the counter seemed very interested. Thus, I lowered my voice. "He was about to. And then his cat - and you - and we never /actually/ got around to it - "  
  
"So that's the way it is." He turned and walked over to the others. I got there first and grabbed Tristan's arm.  
  
"Be nice to him. And - don't let him kill Bakura." I cast a cold glance at that irritating ex of mine, then stormed off, trying to act as though I'd won the argument.  
  
Really, though, I wasn't sure I had.  
  
**I'm trying to remember  
  
Why I was afraid  
  
To be myself and let the  
  
Covers fall away  
  
Guess I never had someone like you  
  
To help me fit in my skin**  
  
I decided not to call, and instead went immediately to Bakura's house. Ryou answered the door.  
  
"Mai, back so soon? How'd it go?"  
  
"Oh, /God/," I moaned, hugging him out of desperate need for someone to hug. He patted my back awkwardly. "This all happened so /fast/ and I just..."  
  
Bakura entered the hallway then, Atenna cradled in one arm. She ate cat food out of his other hand. "Ah, Ryou. That would be my job."  
  
Ryou carefully pushed me at Bakura, who made a courageous attempt to hold cat, food, and girlfriend before managing to drop the food and Atenna, who ate as though neither of us were there.  
  
"He wasn't supposed to find out so soon," I wailed into Bakura's shoulder. "Now he's going to hate both of us forever and we'll have to move to Switzerland to escape his wrath..."  
  
Ryou, to his credit, chose not to ask.  
  
I stayed the night. We slept in the same bed, though fully clothed. And it felt...nice. Very nice.  
  
Around midnight, I finally managed to process it. I loved Bakura. And I was fairly certain that he felt the same way.  
  
How did I feel about that?  
  
Well, that was the part I couldn't figure out. I should have been delighted and passionate. Instead, I found myself dwelling on Joey's words - that Bakura was bad news, and evil, and didn't care about anyone else but himself. And Yami Yugi, who probably knew him best: 'he's been generally cruel since the day you got the Ring...'  
  
Ryou peeked at us several times during the course of the night, presumably to ensure that we weren't "doing anything." I managed finally to stop pondering my relationship with Bakura, and start thinking about Ryou and his Yami. We'd never gotten a straight answer out of either of them. I knew Bakura wasn't speaking to Ryou, and I believed that Ryou was unhappy about it, but...well, you couldn't be sure with those two. As different as night and day, but so similar underneath it all, sometimes.  
  
It was near four - and yes, I was still awake, I /am/ that pitiful - when I realized that if Bakura happened to touch that Millennium Eye of his, my doubts would be telegraphed to him. I couldn't think about that anymore, because what if he thought I didn't love him, and then it would be terrible, because I did, only it was /him/ I wasn't sure of...  
  
Oh, God, if he /didn't/ love me, Joey would gloat for the rest of our /lives/ over it...  
  
**I've never felt like this before  
  
I'm naked around you - does it show?  
  
You see right through me and I can't hide  
  
I'm naked around you  
  
And it feels so right  
  
I'm naked - does it show?  
  
I'm naked**  
  
As a result of my circular thinking, I got about a half-hour of sleep and walked around like a zombie for the rest of the day. I saw Joey with Tea in the park, though they didn't see me, and I talked with Yugi and Ryou for a few hours in the coffee-house before I had to go to work. I actually got through the day and slept until noon the next, in my own house, for once.  
  
Life went on around us. We signed up for the new tournament, all of us but Bakura, who muttered something about "damn dumb luck" in relation to Joey and Yugi. And by "all" I do mean all, even Tristan and Tea. Now that the world wasn't at stake, they were much more into the Duel Monsters game.  
  
Days turned to weeks, the tournament drew closer, and life went back to normal - except that Joey still glared at Bakura whenever they were anywhere near each other, and Bakura continued to ignore all of our friends.  
  
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Why don't you just /try/ to be nice to them?" I demanded. We were in his bedroom, having a practice duel, and he was winning by six hundred lifepoints.  
  
He played a monster, face-down, and said calmly, "You've been having doubts about us."  
  
"Changing the subject again?" I asked scathingly, equipping my Harpie Lady with the Rose Whip and eyeing his monster warily. Then I realized what he had said and blushed. "Uh...no?" Dammit, he /had/ been using the Eye on me!  
  
"I haven't been using the Eye, if that's what you're thinking," he said, and set down a Magic Card that took away the rest of my lifepoints. I sighed and gathered up my deck.  
  
"Then how can you tell?"  
  
He shrugged. "I just can." He swept the cards off of the bed, leaned forward, and kissed me.  
  
It wasn't anything like our previous kisses. Those were chaste and sweet. This was - warm. And if I'd been standing, I would have fallen over. I could taste the passion, hidden for so long, and I clung to him, running my hands through his silky hair, and -  
  
"OH MY GOD MY EYES!"  
  
We quickly let go of each other and stared at Ryou, who was leaning on the wall opposite our door, his eyes covered. "OH, God, do you HAVE to do that with the door OPEN?"  
  
"We were dueling," I said helpfully.  
  
He shuddered. "No...please no...not the bizarre euphemisms..."  
  
"Anyway," Bakura said, completely ignoring his other half. "Do you still doubt me?"  
  
"Not one bit." I smiled and touched his face. "I love you."  
  
"Arrgh," Ryou moaned, sliding to the ground and trembling. "In my own home...I have been traumatized."  
  
"Oh, grow up," Bakura snapped. "Mai, I love you too. And - Ryou, for Ra's sake! Get up and stop whining! It's not like we were /doing/ anything."  
  
"We might have," I added innocently. "If you hadn't stopped us. In fact, what does it matter? You could use the education." I moved to kiss Bakura, and out of the corner of my eye saw Ryou flee.  
  
**Oh oh  
  
I'm naked around you - does it show?  
  
I'm so naked around you  
  
And I can't hide  
  
You're gonna, you're gonna see right through  
  
See right through me and I can't hide  
  
I'm naked around you  
  
Oh yeah yeah**  
  
What can I say about the tournament? I lost, of course, to Yami Yugi - but I took out Joey and Tristan first, a feat I am quite proud of. They both spent days after muttering about the influence of evil spirits on "third- rate Duelists." Those boys are such /idiots/ sometimes!  
  
Yugi somehow managed to beat Yami. I'm not sure how - I didn't watch, because I was busy attempting to stop Atenna from scratching my eyes out. Bakura had, at the last minute, decided to come watch, and of course he had brought that demon-cat with him, and she'd decided that kissing simply wasn't allowed, and had taken it out on me. Joey looked delighted with that.  
  
We celebrated Yugi's victory with ice cream and coffee. Neither Yami nor Bakura had ever chosen to try coffee before, despite our many visits to the coffee-house, and...well, spirits don't do very well on caffeine.  
  
Which is to say, they each had half a cup and proceeded to play an impromptu clapping game in Egyptian. I think Bakura won, but they were both giggling so hard at the end, we couldn't tell. Then Joey and I had a friendly duel, which I /would/ have won if Yami hadn't helpfully stolen my cards and finished for me. He proved to be a miserable player when high on coffee.  
  
I had to support Bakura on our way home. Ryou walked alongside us, looking faintly amused.  
  
"I can't believe one cup of coffee can do that to a person," I whispered.  
  
"Good night," Bakura said suddenly. He looked at me, his eyes glazed over, and continued, "I wuv you."  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
"I can see right through you!"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you can..."  
  
He held his hand up in front of his face and examined it with what amounted to mild interest. "Lookit my fingers. I can see right through them, too. Cool."  
  
Ryou and I burst out laughing. The word "cool" coming from Bakura was just too ludicrous for words.  
  
**I'm so naked around you  
  
And I can't hide  
  
You're gonna see right through, baby** 


	10. My World

A/N: I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's reviewed so far. Love you all! Also, I've decided, because I am horrifically bored, to write a sequel when this is over. So, any interest in that? But that's in the future, this is now, and I bring you the tenth chapter of "Let Go."  
  
Chapter Ten: My World  
  
~~Bakura's POV~~  
  
**Please tell me what is taking place  
  
'Cause I can't seem to find a trace  
  
Guess it must have got erased somehow  
  
Prob'ly 'cause I always forget  
  
Every time someone tells me their name  
  
It's always gotta be the same  
  
In my world**  
  
I woke up with a monstrous headache.  
  
No, not monstrous. It was worse than that. It was Sphinx-sized, and vaguely the shape of a cup of coffee.  
  
"Ryou," I squawked, as loudly as I could manage. He appeared almost immediately in the bedroom door, looking rather concerned.  
  
"Oh, good," he said. "You're alive, after all. Tell me, how did you like coffee?"  
  
"I need...alcohol." I sat up, then flopped back down and pressed my hands over my eyes. "You see, alcohol doesn't give me hangovers. Apparently, this new-fangled invention of EVIL does."  
  
Ryou left and returned moments later with a glass of water and some aspirin. "Mai stayed all night," he said. "She had to go to work this morning." He forced me to sit up by whacking me until I got up just to hit back, and then shoved the glass into my hand and took a quick step back. "You'll be happy - Yami Yugi's faring worse than you. He's been babbling all day about water from the sky. I thought he was used to rain..."  
  
I took some of the aspirin, which didn't work right away. "Please tell me I didn't make too much of an idiot of myself..."  
  
"Oh, not at all," he said blandly. "You bonded with Yami Yugi, which was a nice change from the murder attempts. Then you begged for opium. When we couldn't provide it, we had to lock you in the attic until you passed out, then dragged you to bed." The concern and amusement vanished, replaced by something that seemed almost...wistful? "It's the most I've talked to you in ages, trying to convince you that I seriously don't have any drugs..."  
  
"I'm mad at you," I informed him.  
  
"Why?" he half-shrieked.  
  
"You thought some unfair things." I carefully set the now half-empty glass of water on the nightstand and got up, wincing as I did so. "You seem incapable of understanding love. You seem incapable of seeing me as a human being. And maybe I'm not - maybe I'm only a spirit in a physical body. But I was human once, you know. And you never treat me like one."  
  
Ryou followed me like a little lost puppy as I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen to feed Atenna. I glanced at the clock. "You realize, it's four in the afternoon. We're meeting the others at five, if my memory hasn't failed me completely."  
  
He sounded cheerful again. "Are you going to drink coffee?"  
  
"Isis, hear my plea," I muttered fervently.  
  
"Malik's sister?"  
  
"No, the goddess, you un-Egyptian freak who doesn't know anything about religion!"  
  
"Ouch! Dammit, Atenna!" I glanced around in time to see my cat streak past him, pausing only to scratch him rather deeply.  
  
"Good girl," I said absently. "Wrong person, though..."  
  
"I can't believe you're training a cat to be an assassin!" Ryou collapsed into a chair. "Antibiotics?"  
  
I reached for the emergency kit. We kept one in every room, now. Atenna seemed incapable of recognizing proper targets.  
  
**Never wore a coverup  
  
Always beat the boys up  
  
Grew up in a 5,000 population town  
  
Made my money by cutting grass  
  
Got fired by a fried chicken ass  
  
All in a small town - Napanee**  
  
By the time we arrived at the coffee-house, the others were there. Resigned to my fate to be violently murdered by Joey, I slid into the seat next to Mai, hoping that I'd live long enough to write a will. Joey definitely didn't look happy, and tried to ignore me.  
  
I kissed Mai - on the cheek, because whatever else I might be, I'm not /stupid/ - and helped myself to a spoonful of her ice cream. "You ordered without me."  
  
"You're late."  
  
"I had a hangover."  
  
"I noticed." She glanced over at Joey, who was busily engaged in a conversation with Yugi and Tea, and leaned closer to me. "He's promised not to kill you."  
  
"He could maim me."  
  
"Joey is /not/ like that."  
  
I kissed her again. "Well, that's what I'd do, were the situation reversed."  
  
"Please don't. I thought you'd changed."  
  
I stole more ice cream. You see, sugar is Good. Coffee is Evil. It is a simple statement of fact. "I have. But not that much."  
  
"Are you still mad at Ryou?"  
  
"I think so, yes."  
  
Our talk continued, and eventually, because we were young (relatively speaking), forgetful (especially in my case), and downright stupid (in /some/ matters), we started kissing again. Completely forgetting the jealous ex. Well, I did. Not sure if she did. Maybe she /wanted/ to make him more jealous. Girls are weird like that.  
  
All I heard was a muffled yelp from Ryou, and then someone yanked on my hair - /hard/. People just shouldn't /do/ that. I didn't scream - I'm not a /girl/ - but I did squeak and jump up and stomp on my captor's foot.  
  
"Ooh, like that hurt," Joey said as I whirled to face him. I was vaguely away that Mai was standing behind me, and Tea, Yugi, the pharaoh, and even Tristan were yelling for us not to make a scene.  
  
Too bad. I really don't like having people pull my hair.  
  
"You bloody /girl/!" I yelled. "You don't pull hair! And she's /my/ girlfriend, and you are so possessive!"  
  
"You could have a little respect!" he shouted back. "For my feelings! You know, those things, that normal people feel! But you can't! Because you're an emotionless /git/!"  
  
You know, I don't think anybody had ever called me a git before.  
  
"Wow, I'm shocked you know language like that," I sneered. "Emotion isn't all it's cracked up to be! And I can kiss whomever I please!"  
  
"Sit /down/!" Mai shrieked.  
  
I did. Didn't have much choice, because that /cretin/ punched me in the mouth and knocked me down.  
  
**You know, I always stay up without sleeping  
  
And think to myself  
  
Where do I belong forever?  
  
In whose arms, the time and place**  
  
I scrambled back to my feet, fists clenched, dark eyes blazing. "That was uncalled for." Blood dripped from a cut on my lip, and one tooth felt slightly loose.  
  
"You are a rat!" Joey hissed. I spent a moment in a daze, possibly from loss of blood, wondering how much he /did/ love her, to act like this. Then I snapped out of it.  
  
"What, for going out with a perfectly eligible girl?"  
  
"You - you were with her practically on the day we broke up!"  
  
"Actually," I said, "it /was/ on the day you two broke up."  
  
"You /idiot/," Mai said from somewhere to my left.  
  
This time, I ducked the blow, twisted, and threw Joey over my hip. He crashed into a chair. The manager of the coffee house seemed to be adding up fees in his head, though I'm sure he was enjoying the entertainment. The other customers, well, those who hadn't fled, were huddled in their seats, watching with wide eyes. The two employees, one working the cash register and one mopping the floor in a corner, stopped to watch. While I waited for Joey to get back up - I'm not /dishonorable/, after all - I also tried to figure out money matters. Like, if we actually /broke/ something, how much would it cost? Or would the manager simply make us work for him?  
  
Joey staggered to his feet, wincing, then charged at me. I tried to sidestep him, which always works in the stupid /movies/, and he managed to grab a handful of hair again. I tried to hit him, but I was in a very bad position, and it didn't help that all those idiot /friends/ of ours could do was sit back and yell feebly for us to stop.  
  
Upon discovering that my scalp hurt and I couldn't just wriggle to freedom, I tried another strategy - I simply went limp, as if I'd fainted from pain or fear. Usually, I hate that strategy.  
  
Usually, it doesn't even work.  
  
This time it did.  
  
**Can't help it if I space in a daze  
  
My eyes tune out the other way  
  
I may switch off and go in a daydream  
  
In this head my thoughts are deep  
  
Sometimes I can't even speak  
  
Would someone be and not pretend  
  
I'm off again in my world**  
  
I slipped my mind into a special meditation place, closed my eyes, and did my best to not end up bruised. Joey, realizing that I wasn't fighting, let go and stepped back. Someone, I'm not sure who, said something /very/ nasty.  
  
Which was exactly how I felt about the brat.  
  
I sprang up and swung one leg around in an effort to throw him to the ground. It almost worked, but I'd forgotten that Joey has /practice/ bullying people, whereas I just use my knowledge of vicious taunts and Duel Monsters.  
  
Anyway, he didn't fall, but wobbled, and I pinned his arm temporarily behind his back. "You are overreacting!" I said, as calmly as I could possibly manage. "Gods, why can't you get over yourself?"  
  
Somewhere nearby - I wasn't exactly sure of our position now - Mai said dreamily, "I can't decide whether it's stupid or romantic."  
  
"Go for romantic," Tea replied. "It makes cleaning up the blood later seem less annoying."  
  
Joey twisted, got out of my grip, and shoved me backwards. My head cracked against glass. Somehow, we'd reached the door. The bar dug painfully into my back, and I was suddenly quite dizzy. I could taste blood from my split lip, and it didn't help that, in an underhanded move that no girl I know would use, Joey kneed me in the stomach.  
  
How shall I put it? Coffee suddenly seemed Good.  
  
I doubled over, gasping for breath and unsure of how, exactly, I was supposed to respond to that. Eventually, since my vision was blurry and I'm not really that good at fighting anyway, I decided to surrender. Maybe a win would make that - that /barbarian/ - feel slightly less murderous.  
  
"I concede..."  
  
I coughed and discovered that the "slightly loose tooth" was about ready to fall out.  
  
Welcome to my world.  
  
**I never spend less than an hour  
  
Washing my hair in the shower  
  
It always takes five hours to make it straight  
  
So I'll braid it in a zillion braids  
  
Though it may take all friggin' day  
  
There's nothing else better to do, anyway**  
  
The manager, in a show of good sportsmanship, merely asked for fifty dollars, to repay him for a chair we'd broken and for the time we'd taken from his work. Luckily, there wasn't much blood, and someone - I'm not sure who - cleaned it up quickly, before it could dry.  
  
In fact, I'm not sure who paid the money. I just remember that it was difficult to see, my head ached again, and I really hate losing.  
  
It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that Mai and Ryou had to support me on the way home.  
  
"You're just lucky that the manager is a friend of mine," Ryou told me. "Any normal person would've called the police. That was...that was a /tavern brawl/. How could you do something like that?"  
  
I coughed again. "How far is home?"  
  
"Two blocks," Mai replied. "You're bleeding..."  
  
I chose not to respond to that, but let them lead me into the living room. I collapsed on the couch, suddenly glad that Mai couldn't read minds.  
  
It wasn't worth it.  
  
He obviously felt something for her, probably love. And what I felt was probably more akin to lust. I mean, I /am/ a spirit, and could potentially be classified as evil, and what does an evil spirit know about love?  
  
I'd had my chance, in Egypt. And I'd been lucky. But Joey wouldn't get a second chance at life, would he?  
  
Not to mention that if he tried that every time I saw him, I'd be crippled in short order.  
  
So, what was I supposed to do? Break up with her? It seemed so...cruel...  
  
**When you're all alone in the lands of forever  
  
Lay under the Milky Way  
  
On and on, it's getting too late out  
  
I'm not in love, this time, this night**  
  
Mai tended to my battle scars, and I fell asleep, suddenly terribly worried. If I /did/ intend to let Joey have her, I couldn't just break up with her. She had to fall for him first.  
  
Damn. Matchmaking.  
  
I required...help.  
  
I woke at midnight. Mai had gone home - I vaguely remembered hearing her leave a few hours before - and I dragged myself up the stairs toward Ryou's room.  
  
At the top, I was forced to sit down and assess my injuries. Stabbing pain in my head. Tooth digging into my gums. My left side felt like a gigantic bruise - and, lifting my shirt, I saw that it was.  
  
Well, I certainly wasn't moving. "Atenna!" I yelled. After a minute, she wandered lazily out of my room and blinked up at me. I absently patted her head. "Go wake Ryou. Don't kill him." She continued to stare up at me. "Oh, right. You don't know that command. Atenna...bite Ryou!"  
  
She ran off. Ryou slept with his door open, not a wise move with Atenna in the house. The scream was almost instantaneous. A few minutes passed before the cat could get Ryou to understand what she wanted, and he stumbled out of the room.  
  
"Oh, Yami, you're awake. This /creature/ bit my nose." He grabbed a towel out of the linen closet and pressed it to his face before coming to sit next to me.  
  
I'm not one for subtlety. "Mai's gone, right?"  
  
"Yes. What's wrong?" Pretty much all I could see of his expression were his eyes, glittering with worry. Part of the low visibility was the towel. The other part was simple lack of light. The moon was half-full, the sky cloudless, and silver light spilled into the hallway from the windows in Ryou's room, my own, and the one at the end of the corridor.  
  
"I..." I bit my lip. "I think...Joey should be with her."  
  
He stared at me. "You're kidding."  
  
"Since when do I 'kid'?" I rested my head against the wall, feeling suddenly very tired, even though I'd slept very late the night before, and had a six-hour nap just a little while ago. "I'm serious. I'm not even a real person. She deserves better."  
  
He wasn't looking at me anymore, but simply gaze into space, thinking about something. The Eye was somewhere in my dresser, but I've always been able to see a bit of his thoughts. I think it's the Ring's power.  
  
He was thinking about love.  
  
**Can't help it if I space in a daze  
  
My eyes tune out the other way  
  
I may switch off and go in a daydream  
  
In this head my thoughts are deep  
  
Sometimes I can't even speak  
  
Would someone be and not pretend  
  
I'm off again in my world**  
  
"I'm not in love with her," I told Ryou firmly. "I know you think I am - "  
  
"You are." His eyes snapped back to mine and he nodded deliberately. "That's what love is - giving someone the chance not to love you back. Doing what's best for the one you love."  
  
I stared down at my hands. One of my nails had broken, but I wasn't thinking about that.  
  
"I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for Joey. He loves her."  
  
Ryou nodded sagely. "Yes, that's a different kind of love. That's friendship. I think Mai's right. She changed you."  
  
I glared at him. "Joey is not my friend. And I'm still mad at you."  
  
He glared back. "You're just being difficult. Why can't you accept the fact that you love us - all of us?"  
  
I sighed and shifted my weight, which made my side ache. "Because I still don't know what love /is/."  
  
Ryou yawned. "Well, I already told you everything /I/ know. Keep your cat away from me. 'Night, Yami."  
  
"Mmph," I mumbled. Atenna purred and rubbed against my arm. I drew her into my lap, then decided not to attempt the journey to my bedroom.  
  
No...I was exhausted, but it was a different kind of sleepiness.  
  
**Take some time  
  
Mellow out  
  
Party it up  
  
But don't fall down  
  
Don't get caught  
  
Sneak out of the house**  
  
I slipped out of the house and into the cool air. It was mid-August, and usually quite warm at night, but even so, I shivered.  
  
I wasn't sure where I was going, but perhaps it's no surprise that I ended up at the river in the park. They were rebuilding the bridge Mai and I had accidentally broken. I sat down on a pile of planks that the workers had left out for the night.  
  
I gazed down at the water, lapping quietly at the banks, gleaming in the moonlight. This was where it had started. This was where I would decide whether it had to end.  
  
I'd forgotten to ask Ryou if he would help me to match them up.  
  
I buried my face in my hands. What was /happening/ to me? I'm a tomb robber! Even if I didn't remember, I'm sure I'd killed people. I was a thief. Evil by nature. It wasn't that long ago that I'd wanted to rule the world.  
  
And then...them. The pharaoh, Mai, Ryou. They'd stepped into my life and everything had changed, and it kept getting worse, and now I was going to set people up. That was ridiculous!  
  
"I hate this world," I moaned.  
  
"It certainly is a downer sometimes, isn't it."  
  
I jerked my head up, too fast, and winced as my neck cracked. "Gods, what in the name of Set are you /doing/ here? It's two in the morning!" I cried.  
  
The pharaoh stared at me, his eyes, as always, unreadable. "Ryou called. You snuck out. He couldn't locate you, even with the Ring. So I did."  
  
I glared at the unoffending river. "This day just keeps getting better and better."  
  
"This day is only two hours old."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
**Can't help it if I space in a daze  
  
My eyes tune out the other way  
  
I may switch off and go in a daydream  
  
In this head my thoughts are deep  
  
Sometimes I can't even speak  
  
Would someone be and not pretend  
  
I'm off again in my world**  
  
The pharaoh eventually sat down, cross-legged, on a rock. He didn't stop looking at me. I resolutely gazed at the river, until finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "Why don't you go tell Ryou where I am? I'd rather talk to him."  
  
"He told us."  
  
I groaned inwardly. So now the pharaoh knew what was happening with Mai and me. "Joy."  
  
"I think...it's a...very nice thing to do." I almost smirked. He was obviously struggling with the mere idea that I wasn't the spawn of demons.  
  
"I haven't decided to do it yet."  
  
Silence descended again. Strangely, this felt...right. To not argue. To not fight.  
  
Finally, the pharaoh spoke. "If you love her, don't let her go."  
  
"But Joey - "  
  
"He'll get over it. Trust me. I know him a great deal better than you do."  
  
We sat there for the remainder of the night. I was deep in thought. I don't know what Yami did, but I'm fairly certain he just stared at me. Or maybe fell asleep with his eyes open.  
  
As dawn began to stain the sky lavender, I got up, wincing at the stiffness in my legs, and walked off, numbness giving me a half-limp. The pharaoh soon followed, though I ignored him until he ran to catch up.  
  
"Do you know what you'll do?"  
  
I bit my lip, which irritated my tooth. "Well, first I'm going to pull this tooth if it kills me. Then, assuming I live, I'm..." I shook my head, furious that my eyes threatened to tear up. "I'm going to get Ryou and Yugi to help me make Mai fall in love with Joey again."  
  
He regarded me, something finally showing in his usually emotionless eyes. I couldn't recognize it. Shock? Happiness?  
  
Pride?  
  
"If that's what you want..."  
  
That was the problem. I didn't want it.  
  
But I had to do it.  
  
Being a good guy really sucks, doesn't it?  
  
**Can't help it if I space in a daze  
  
My eyes tune out the other way  
  
I may switch off and go in a daydream  
  
In this head my thoughts are deep  
  
Sometimes I can't even speak  
  
Would someone be and not pretend  
  
I'm off again in my world** 


	11. Things I'll Never Say

A/N: Well, I was bored, so I finally took a look at when this story began. The first chapter was up on October 21, 2002. Because I am appalled at how long it took, I will strive to have the whole thing finished by October 21, 2003. Wish me luck. By the way, thanks again to my dear reviewers! Hugs and snugs to all!  
  
Chapter 11: Things I'll Never Say  
  
~~Joey's POV~~  
  
No one was more amazed than I was when Bakura appeared on my doorstep early on Saturday morning.  
  
He was flanked by Ryou and Yugi, both looking shocked, Yugi more than Ryou. Bakura stared at the ground as if the ant dragging a crumb toward an anthill was far more interesting than anything else in the entire world.  
  
"Yami wanted to say something," Ryou said, shoving the tomb robber. Bakura stumbled, looked up, and immediately turned around and tried to get past my friends.  
  
"I've changed my mind, this is stupid."  
  
"Don't be a scaredy-cat," Ryou admonished. "Think what Atenna would say if she could talk."  
  
I was too tired to argue. I mean, it was eight on a Saturday morning. Since it didn't seem like Bakura would be trying to kill me, at least not with Ryou and Yugi there half-dragging him, I let them all come in.  
  
"Be quiet, don't wake my sister," I told them.  
  
"Oh, we won't stay long," Yugi said in a hollow voice. "I, for one, intend to get out of this madhouse as soon as humanly possible."  
  
I couldn't help it; I was interested. Nothing shocks Yugi. Not psychotic ancient Egyptian spirits, not /anything/. But he was very definitely shocked.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked, ushering them into the kitchen.  
  
"Anything but coffee," Yami Bakura said.  
  
I glared at him. "I'm not giving you anything to drink until you explain why you're here."  
  
Ryou sat down at the table and simply stared at his yami until the tomb robber couldn't take any more. "Fine, I'll tell him, just /stop/ it."  
  
Ryou subsided with a look of immense satisfaction.  
  
Bakura began to scrutinize the floor tiles. "I've decided that um. You and Mai um. Should er. Get-back-together-and-I-want-to-help-uh. Although I'm not exactly sure how. All right?"  
  
I knew what he'd said. But the words just didn't seem like they should be said, by him, in that particular order.  
  
**I'm tugging at my hair  
  
I'm pulling at my clothes  
  
I'm trying to keep my cool  
  
I know it shows  
  
I'm staring at my feet  
  
My cheeks are turning red  
  
I'm searching for the words inside my head**  
  
There was silence for a moment, before Ryou said timidly, "Did you hear what Yami said?"  
  
Yugi added, "I don't believe it either. In fact, I'm still not over the fight yesterday. I think we need to save the world again. That makes /sense/. This just...doesn't."  
  
"You're tellin' me." I opened my refrigerator and took out the orange juice, noting absently that my hands were shaking. "Is this some kind of joke?"  
  
"I don't joke!"  
  
I took four glasses out and poured juice into all of them - one of those simple tasks you do when you're trying to process something very complicated. "So you're telling me that /you/ - you who were kissing Mai yesterday, you who've been dating her behind my back for two months - you /want/ me to go out with her again?"  
  
"Please," the tomb robber said. "I'd appreciate it. Because, you see, I've decided that you love her, whereas I am uncertain of my feelings, and she deserves to be loved. And beyond that, I don't owe you any explanations. We're willing to play matchmakers." He paused. "Well, maybe not Yugi."  
  
I gave each of them a glass and started sipping at my own. This was confusing. It felt...wrong, somehow. This had to be some kind of evil plot.  
  
But I liked it. Anything that would give me a chance to prove to Mai that I love her...  
  
**I'm feeling nervous  
  
Trying to be so perfect  
  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
  
You're worth it  
  
Yeah**  
  
"Fine," I said, after I'd thought it over. I tried to conceal my delight. "So, what's the plan?"  
  
"I have no plan," Bakura said ruefully. "Usually, I have a plan. Usually it involves getting all the Millennium Items and taking over the world. This is much harder." He brightened. "You could make a bet with her. That's what I did!"  
  
Resolving to get the full story at some point, I nodded. "Right. Yugi, plan?"  
  
The orange juice had revitalized him. He looked at Bakura. "First, I want to know /why/."  
  
"I already said why!"  
  
"But why the sudden change of heart?"  
  
Bakura shuddered. "Don't remind me. I hate that card. Anyway, it's just...I mean...yesterday." He sat up straighter and assumed a very haughty tone of voice. "Any idiot who would attack a professional thief and potential assassin in broad daylight must /really/ love the woman being fought over."  
  
After a moment, we realized that he was finished. "That's not even an answer, it's just a set of facts," Yugi said.  
  
Ryou gave his yami a sympathetic look. "Should I just tell them?"  
  
"No! Stay out of my head!"  
  
"I can't help it, it's not like I /asked/ for this."  
  
**If I could say what I wanna say  
  
I'd say I wanna blow you away  
  
Be with you every night  
  
Am I squeezing you too tight?  
  
If I could say what I wanna see  
  
I wanna see you go down on one knee  
  
Marry me today  
  
Guess I'm wishing my life away  
  
With these things I'll never say**  
  
We argued for about half an hour more, by which time I was extremely annoyed. "I'll do it myself," I snapped.  
  
Bakura looked panicked. "You're not going to tell her that it was my idea, are you? She'll /hit/ me."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "I'll tell her if she asks. I don't think she will."  
  
I was almost at the door before I remembered. I turned around and went back to the kitchen. "You know, this is my house."  
  
Ryou looked around in astonishment. "Really? I guess we should get out, then." He grinned at me. "Good luck, Joey."  
  
I nodded, and followed them out.  
  
I still didn't know exactly why Bakura /wanted/ this to happen, but who am I to throw away a perfectly good chance at love?  
  
And I do love her. I'd made some mistakes before. I didn't intend to do it again.  
  
**It don't do me any good  
  
It's just a waste of time  
  
What use is it to you  
  
What's on my mind?  
  
If it ain't coming out  
  
We're not going anywhere  
  
So why can't I just tell you that I care?**  
  
I knew that Mai worked the early shift at the restaurant on Saturdays, so I simply met her there. She got off at ten, and accompanied me to the park when I asked her to.  
  
We went to the pond. It's small, but rather pretty, and it was a beautiful day, the sun shining in a bright blue August sky.  
  
"What do you want?" Mai asked finally, looking up at me.  
  
I bit my lip, feeling suddenly nervous. "I just...I missed you."  
  
"You saw me yesterday." She quickly looked away, as if afraid to remind me of yesterday.  
  
"I'm not mad anymore," I told her.  
  
She sighed and brushed a strand of hair back, away from her face. "Look, I know why you're here. You just want to try to make me break up with Bakura. It won't work. I love him." She glared at me, violet eyes glittering defiance.  
  
It took a great effort not to scream in frustration. "What if he doesn't love you?" He doesn't. Not like I love you.  
  
"He loves me."  
  
"What if he hurts you?" I'd never hurt you.  
  
"He wouldn't do that."  
  
In the face of her steadfast loyalty, I decided that the time had come to do something I hate. Well, at least Kaiba wasn't around.  
  
I bowed my head. "Mai, I'm begging you. Don't do this. Please. I love you, more than Bakura does. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'd get down on my knees and beg like a dog if I thought it would do any good."  
  
She smiled. "I'm going to call Kaiba."  
  
Dammit. "Don't. Please. I'll do anything you want. Just..."  
  
**'Cause I'm feeling nervous  
  
Trying to be so perfect  
  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
  
You're worth it  
  
Yeah**  
  
I trailed off weakly. Maybe I should've stayed to talk to Ryou and Yugi and Bakura. We could have made a plan.  
  
Mai gently touched my face. "Joey, my dear, dear Joey. I love you. As a friend. But you had your chance."  
  
"So give me a second one!"  
  
She shook her head. "I can't do that, Joey. I can't. Even if you were right - even if he hated me with every atom of his being - I would love him. That's what love is."  
  
I hated myself the moment the thought entered my head. I'd promised, after all. But love makes us do strange things.  
  
"He doesn't know."  
  
She stared at me. "What?"  
  
"He doesn't know what love is." At least, I'm fairly certain he didn't. It was an educated guess. "He's confused, and he wants us to be together. Because..."  
  
And suddenly, I understood. And then I hated everything, because for once I didn't /want/ to understand. But I had to say it.  
  
"He loves you. You're right. And he thinks you're better off with me. That's why I'm here. And I shouldn't have told you, but I love you." I didn't go on - I couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to.  
  
I knew. And knowledge is pain.  
  
Love. It's doing what you know is best, even though it hurts.  
  
And I loved her.  
  
Mai stared at me. "Bakura sent you here? That's ridiculous. You're lying."  
  
"I wish I was." I gazed at her. "I want...I don't know what I want. And neither does he. But I think I can find out on my own. He can't."  
  
**If I could say what I wanna say  
  
I'd say I wanna blow you away  
  
Be with you every night  
  
Am I squeezing you too tight?  
  
If I could say what I wanna see  
  
I wanna see you go down on one knee  
  
Marry me today  
  
Guess I'm wishing my life away  
  
With these things I'll never say**  
  
So, I had my last chance. And I said all the wrong things. But I did the right thing. And that's what counts, isn't it?  
  
She didn't speak again, just stared into the pond and finally turned and walked rapidly off. I watched her go, feeling quite depressed.  
  
"That was a nice thing you did."  
  
I turned, not even remotely surprised to see Tea walk out from behind a large bush. I was also unshocked when Ryou, Yugi, Tristan, and Yami joined her.  
  
"Then how come I feel so awful?"  
  
Tea hugged me hard. "Oh, you boys are so adorable. I mean, Bakura decided to give her to you, and you just gave her back..." I thought she would cry from the sheer irony of it all, but instead she stepped back and fixed me with a glare. "However, I don't like it that you both seem to treat women as objects."  
  
"Oh, don't go all feminist now," Tristan said. He hit me lightly on the shoulder. "It's okay, buddy."  
  
I tried to grin, and failed miserably. "You realize that this solves nothing."  
  
"No," Yugi agreed. "But it's nice, isn't it? To deal with things like this? I mean, after saving the world and all."  
  
"I /prefer/ raving lunatics," I told him.  
  
**What's wrong with my song?  
  
These words keep slipping away  
  
I stutter, I stumble  
  
Like I've got nothing to say  
  
'Cause I'm feeling nervous  
  
Trying to be so perfect  
  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
  
You're worth it  
  
Yeah**  
  
I don't know what Mai said to Bakura, or what he said back. All I know is that I didn't see either of them until September, when school started. Of course, Bakura wasn't there, but Mai was, and I knew immediately that she was content.  
  
That made me happy.  
  
Weeks passed. We were all so busy with schoolwork that we didn't get together often, and when we did, Bakura stayed away. Life settled down, and eventually I found that my heart ached a little less when I saw Mai.  
  
One can get used to anything, it seems. Even the love of your life being only a friend.  
  
Sometimes, I had dreams, where I tried to tell her how much I loved her. But I never could, and I always woke knowing that I never would.  
  
**Guess I'm wishing my life away  
  
With these things I'll never say  
  
If I could say what I wanna say  
  
I'd say I wanna blow you away  
  
Be with you every night  
  
Am I squeezing you too tight?  
  
If I could say what I wanna see  
  
I wanna see you go down on one knee  
  
Marry me today  
  
Guess I'm wishing my life away  
  
With these things I'll never say** 


	12. Sk8er Boi

A/N: Second to last chapter, with convenient hints as to what happens in the sequel. I am hoping to put the last chapter up on Tuesday.  
  
Chapter Twelve: Sk8er Boi  
  
~~Mai's POV~~  
  
I wanted to go find Bakura right away. I didn't expect that he would come and find me.  
  
I was halfway to his house when I saw him, walking towards me, head down. I ran the rest of the way and threw my arms around his neck. He stumbled in shock, then hugged me fiercely. And, if we hadn't been standing in the middle of the street, I would have held onto him like that forever.  
  
As it was, a car drove past and blew his horn at us. We staggered to the sidewalk, refusing to let go.  
  
"I can't decide whether or not to kill him," Bakura said at last. "I mean, he promised not to tell you what I felt."  
  
"I don't care how you feel," I said. "I love you. And I think you love me."  
  
He stared down at me, his eyes dark with despair. "That's just it. I don't - I mean - just what /is/ love, anyway?"  
  
I smiled and kissed him gently. "This. All of this. Us. Together. That's all."  
  
He kissed back, then pulled away, still keeping his arms around my waist. "It's too simple. What's the catch?"  
  
"It doesn't always last forever."  
  
He grinned. "Well, nothing lasts forever. Here and now, that's what matters."  
  
**He was a boy, she was a girl  
  
Can I make it any more obvious?  
  
He was a punk, she did ballet  
  
What more can I say?  
  
He wanted her, she'd never tell  
  
Secretly she wanted him as well  
  
But all of her friends stuck up their nose  
  
They had a problem with his baggy clothes**  
  
Unfortunately, it is only in the comics that two people can hang onto each other without moving. It was, after all, a perfectly lovely day, and whatever Bakura might have thought, I wasn't mad at all. I was happier than I could ever remember being.  
  
We walked back to his house, arms looped around each other, the sun bathing us in its warm light. "I don't think we should let Joey see us together," I told him. "It would only upset him."  
  
Bakura shrugged. "I don't mind. I'll just stay away from our friends. It's easy - I've been doing it for ages."  
  
I might have worried about that, if I'd known then what had happened the night before. As it is, I'm afraid I believed him - that he didn't care, that they /weren't/ his friends. How was I supposed to know? I can't read minds. I didn't know that he'd taken what Ryou said to heart, and was trying to think of them as friends - only, of course, if he never saw them again...  
  
Things might have turned out /so/ differently. But that's another story, for another time. Here and now, that's what matters.  
  
Here and now, we were alive and in love.  
  
**He was a skater boy  
  
She said, "See you later, boy"  
  
He wasn't good enough for her  
  
She had a pretty face  
  
But her head was up in space  
  
She needed to come back down to Earth**  
  
I joined my friends at the coffee house, three days later. Joey wasn't there - he was out of town, visiting his aunt. Bakura might have joined us, except that Ryou's father was home until the end of September, and, in his slightly-exaggerated fear of his father finding out that he had an evil spirit hanging around, Ryou ordered Bakura to stay in the Ring No Matter What.  
  
I wasn't happy about /that/.  
  
"He can stay with me," I pleaded that day.  
  
Ryou shook his head vehemently. "Absolutely not. One mere sighting of him would drive my father mad."  
  
"I'm not so sure about that," Yugi noted. "After all, he did give you the Ring. I'm sure he knows a /little/ about it - enough that he won't be totally shocked."  
  
Ryou took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in his chair. "Nevertheless, my Yami stays in his Spirit Room until my father leaves."  
  
"Oh, come on," I moaned. "The first time I can see you all without Joey hanging around, my boyfriend can't join us?"  
  
Ryou shuddered. "Please, please don't call him that. It frightens me."  
  
Tea looked at me. "Er, Mai. You've very definitely given up on Joey, right?"  
  
"I think it's safe to say that, yes."  
  
"Oh, good." She smiled. "Then I can go after him?"  
  
And she did, the moment he got home. He didn't even notice for months. Finally, around Christmas, Tea - who neither I nor Bakura called the "pathetic weakling" anymore - got tired of flirting and just asked him out.  
  
They started dating. I was happy for them, really. And I was happy for me, too. I could see in Tea's eyes that she thought she'd gotten the better end of the bargain, and that I'd regret it eventually.  
  
I knew I wouldn't.  
  
**Five years from now, she sits at home  
  
Feeding the baby, she's all alone  
  
She turns on TV, guess who she sees  
  
Skater boy rockin' up MTV  
  
She calls up her friends, they already know  
  
And they've all got tickets to see his show  
  
She tags along, stands in the crowd  
  
Looks up at the man that she turned down**  
  
It wasn't until New Year's Eve that Bakura and I dared show up together in front of Joey, at a party hosted by Kaiba. Joey grinned at us and shot a confetti gun at Tea.  
  
"It's about time," Bakura said cryptically, and kissed me.  
  
"Not until midnight," I reprimanded him, stepping back.  
  
Bakura sighed, looked around, and frowned. "Remind me again why we all came to this? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we /hate/ Kaiba. Or has something changed?"  
  
I shrugged. "He invited all the good Duelists, I guess. Maybe he's going to host another tournament. Why would /I/ know? Ask Yugi."  
  
So we did. It took awhile to locate him, because apparently someone had already spiked the punch, and his Yami was trying to keep him in a corner where he couldn't hurt anyone.  
  
"I bet it was Tristan," Yami exploded before either of us could say anything. "He did this last year, too."  
  
Yugi smiled at us. "I'm a random duck."  
  
Bakura blinked, then turned to Yami. "Just wondering - why did we come to this party? I mean, it's /Kaiba's/ party."  
  
Yami shrugged. "I don't know. There aren't any other parties going on. Everyone we know is here."  
  
**He was a skater boy  
  
She said, "See you later, boy"  
  
He wasn't good enough for her  
  
Now he's a superstar  
  
Slammin' on his guitar  
  
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?**  
  
We stayed in the corner for awhile, talking. I was privately amazed that Yami and Bakura carried on a civil conversation. Eventually, we fell silent and just watched the party.  
  
Roughly half of the guests, Ryou and Tea included, had drunk the spiked punch. Joey and Tristan laughed together against one wall. Kaiba had yet to put in an appearance, though Mokuba was there, trying to stop people from drinking the punch until he could get a new bowl.  
  
Bakura slipped an arm around my waist quite naturally, as if he'd forgotten he was doing it. "You know what would be fun? Let's wreak havoc on these mortals."  
  
Yami glanced from Yugi, who was apparently trying to play Duel Monsters with himself, to the tomb robber. "What kind of havoc were you thinking?"  
  
Bakura smirked. "I was thinking, we make Joey and Tristan regret that they ever spiked the punch."  
  
"I like that plan."  
  
Behold, the arch-enemies working together for the good of all. I should have stopped them, but I was having too much fun watching them.  
  
I stayed with Yugi while they walked nonchalantly over to the punch bowl, and, chatting companionably, drank some before Mokuba could stop them. I have to hand it to them - they were very good at pretending to be drunk.  
  
However, I stopped having fun when Bakura and Yami, both swaying dangerously, started hitting on Tea. I mean, it would have been all right if they were /actually/ drunk, but nothing gets to them but coffee.  
  
**He was a skater boy  
  
She said, "See you later, boy"  
  
He wasn't good enough for her  
  
Now he's a superstar  
  
Slammin' on his guitar  
  
Does your pretty face see what he's worth?**  
  
As soon as Joey realized what was going on, he stalked over to them. "That's /my/ girlfriend," he snapped, grabbing Tea's arm and glaring at Bakura.  
  
Tea gazed dreamily at him. "Am I? But these nice boys were saying /they/ were my boyfriends."  
  
"You can only have one at a time!"  
  
Yami blinked and nearly fell over, "accidentally" catching Tea's other arm. Joey immediately slapped him - not hard, he obviously believed that both spirits were drugged - and pulled Tea away.  
  
Well, there was that possessiveness again.  
  
And suddenly, I was wondering. What would it have been like if I /had/ gone with him? Like that? With him to protect me?  
  
Judging by the enraptured look on Bakura's face, he wouldn't have noticed if the Winged Dragon of Ra swept down and carried me off to Egypt.  
  
**Sorry, girl, but you missed out  
  
Well, tough luck, that boy's mine now  
  
We are more than just good friends  
  
This is how the story ends  
  
Too bad that you couldn't see  
  
See the man that boy could be  
  
There is more than meets the eye  
  
I see the soul that is inside**  
  
I spent nearly an hour getting more and more upset in the corner. To their credit, Yami and Bakura /did/ manage to make the boys regret spiking the punch. Occasionally returning to flirt with Tea, they /also/ hit on every girl in the room that they knew Tristan liked.  
  
It would have been funny, but...  
  
Bakura is /my/ boyfriend, and he shouldn't cheat on me, even for pretend.  
  
Eventually, leaving Yami to say nice things to Tea, Bakura wandered back over to me. "Hello, love," he said cheerfully.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
"Oh, yes, tremendous fun."  
  
It was then that I noticed something. The dark circles under his eyes, the slight shaking, the tremor in his voice.  
  
I grabbed his hand. "You're like ice. Are you /really/ drugged?"  
  
"I don't /think/ so..."  
  
**He's just a boy and I'm just a girl  
  
Can I make it anymore obvious?  
  
We are in love, haven't you heard  
  
How we rock each other's world  
  
I'm with the skater boy  
  
I said see you later, boy  
  
I'll be backstage after the show  
  
I'll be at our studio  
  
Singing the song we wrote  
  
About the girl you used to know**  
  
Bakura shivered and leaned against the wall. Yugi looked up from his cards.  
  
"You don't look so good," he noted.  
  
I glanced around desperately for Ryou, or Yami. Unfortunately, both were on the other side of the room, involved in their own pursuits. "Yugi, please, please go get your yami? And Ryou?"  
  
I think the seriousness in my voice was enough to temporarily shock him out of his drugged state. "Okay." He walked off rapidly, moving easily through the crowds of people.  
  
I turned my attention back to Bakura. "Are you sick?"  
  
"I don't think so," he repeated. "I think.../ow/..."  
  
He slid to the ground, hands pressed to his temples, eyes closed.  
  
It didn't take long for Yami to reach us, trailing Tristan, Joey, and Tea. He knelt beside Bakura. "Do we know what's wrong?"  
  
"No," I replied. I vaguely felt Joey slip his hand into mine, but I wouldn't remember it until later.  
  
Bakura's eyes suddenly snapped open, wide and almost glowing with something frightening. "Pharaoh," he whispered. "I think...something's /happening/...get Ryou..."  
  
And then he fainted.  
  
**I'm with the skater boy  
  
I said see you later, boy  
  
I'll be backstage after the show  
  
I'll be at our studio  
  
Singing the song we wrote  
  
About the girl you used to know**  
  
We wouldn't find out until much, much later, but at that moment, thousands of miles away, Isis Ishtar awoke from a dream she couldn't remember with the Millennium Necklace burning her throat. 


	13. Tomorrow

Chapter Thirteen: Tomorrow  
  
~~Bakura's POV~~  
  
**And I wanna believe you  
  
When you tell me that it'll be okay  
  
Yeah, I try to believe you  
  
But I don't  
  
When you say that it's gonna be  
  
It always turns out to be a different way  
  
I try to believe you  
  
Not today**  
  
I woke up with my head throbbing, and visions dancing in my mind.  
  
"Oh, /ow/," I cried, sitting up and clutching my head, as if that would dispel the images.  
  
"Take it easy," someone said kindly. It took me a moment to recognize Ryou's voice.  
  
"Fire," I croaked. "Blood...and sand...and water from the sky..." I forced my eyes open, and was relieved to see, not fire, but a simple bedroom. Ryou and Mai sat at the end of the bed, and the others stood off to one side.  
  
"You fainted," Joey said helpfully.  
  
I shook my head, which only made the pain worse. "I don't faint."  
  
"Nevertheless," the pharaoh said, "that's what happened."  
  
I groaned. I wanted to close my eyes, but that might bring the visions back. "Can everyone leave? Except Ryou, Yugi, and the pharaoh?"  
  
Mai gave me a Look, as if I should let her stay simply because she was my girlfriend, but she left. Tristan, the last one out, closed the door.  
  
"Where are we?" I asked.  
  
"One of Kaiba's guest rooms," Yugi told me. "It's not midnight just yet. You weren't out too long."  
  
"Water from the sky?" Ryou asked. "But...that's what Yami Yugi was talking about, months ago. And I /know/ you've both seen rain."  
  
I stared at the pharaoh, who stared right back. So, we were having the same visions. What did that mean?  
  
**I don't know how I'll feel  
  
Tomorrow, tomorrow  
  
I don't know what to say  
  
Tomorrow, tomorrow  
  
Is a different day**  
  
"What did you see?" the pharaoh finally asked.  
  
I closed my eyes, recalled the images, and immediately realized that I didn't /want/ to remember. I didn't want the fire, the blood, the memories...  
  
"I saw...everything..." I opened my eyes. "And I think that what happened five thousand years ago was much worse than we all thought."  
  
Yugi joined Ryou at the end of the bed. "It doesn't matter. That's over now. We saved the world."  
  
"I know. But there's something..." I closed my eyes again, fought to look past the fire, and couldn't. "Something I can't remember. Not quite. Something that changes everything..."  
  
Yugi shook his head. "No. It's over. It has to be."  
  
I didn't think it was. Something wasn't right. "But if it's over.really over.then why are we remembering?"  
  
"Residual memories?" the pharaoh suggested. "It's possible that something was blocking them."  
  
"Oh, yeah? Like what? Just.shut up, pharaoh." I massaged my temples. "We're not getting anywhere. Can I talk to Ryou alone, now?"  
  
The other two complied, and in a moment, I was alone with my hikari.  
  
**Tomorrow  
  
It's always been up to you  
  
It's turning around, it's up to me  
  
I'm gonna do what I have to do  
  
Just don't  
  
Give me a little time  
  
Leave me alone a little while  
  
Maybe it's not too late  
  
Not today**  
  
Ryou didn't speak, and didn't look at me. I gazed at the ceiling, and the memory, the vision, whatever it was, came unbidden back.  
  
"Er, Ryou?"  
  
He looked up, pale hair falling in his eyes. He brushed it away irritably. "What?"  
  
"Do you still have that wristwatch with the ankh on it?"  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
I pondered for a moment how to put it, and decided to go for blunt. "It must be destroyed. It is an Object of Evil."  
  
Ryou jumped off the bed. "Yami, that watch was a present from my father! I'm not getting rid of it!"  
  
"Yes, well, the Ring was a present, too, and we all know how /that/ turned out!"  
  
"Yeah, it turned out fine!"  
  
"Only after a great deal of pain!"  
  
"Yami..." Ryou sighed. "Obviously, you need rest. You'll feel better tomorrow. And not quite so crazed."  
  
"I'm not crazed!" I yelled, realizing too late that I /did/ sound rather insane. I spoke softer. "I mean it. I /saw/ it."  
  
He grinned. "An Evil Wristwatch of Doom? I doubt it, Yami. Do you think you can walk?"  
  
"Of course. I feel fine." Actually, my head still hurt, but the pain was fading...or maybe I was getting used to it. Anyway, my legs still worked, of that I was certain.  
  
**Oh, I don't know how I'll feel  
  
Tomorrow, tomorrow  
  
I don't know what to say  
  
Tomorrow, tomorrow  
  
Is a different day**  
  
We didn't leave the room, though. Ryou didn't seem that anxious to return to the party, and I was trying to work out how to say what I wanted to say. Eventually, I gave up on subtlety.  
  
"I'm not mad at you anymore..."  
  
He looked up quickly, eyes shining. "Really?"  
  
I grinned. "Really. In fact, I don't think I'm mad at /anyone/ right now."  
  
"Even Yami Yugi?"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "We've been plotting together. We're...how do you say it?...we're 'tight.'"  
  
Ryou snickered. "That's good, 'dude.'"  
  
Someone knocked on the door. Determined not to be seen weakened, I stood up - and immediately fell back onto the bed as blood rushed to my head. "Ow, ow, ow!" I yelped.  
  
Ryou opened the door and then half-turned to look at me. "All right?"  
  
"Stood up too fast." I tried again - slowly - and this time managed it, though my head continued to ache.  
  
Mokuba stepped in. "Hi. Feeling better?"  
  
"Perfect," I told him, and winced at the visions that returned.  
  
Fire. And blood. And...  
  
I sat down again, stared at the wall to avoid closing my eyes. "Absolutely perfect..."  
  
**Hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah  
  
And I know I'm not ready  
  
Hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah  
  
Maybe tomorrow  
  
Hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah  
  
I'm not ready  
  
Hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah  
  
Maybe tomorrow**  
  
After reassuring them that I was, in fact, in rather good condition, the three of us went downstairs. Apparently, whatever disruption had been caused when I...all right, I'll say it, /fainted/...was long forgotten by most of the partygoers.  
  
"It's ten to midnight," Mokuba said. "I have to go find Seto. Have fun! Oh, and the punch is fine now," he added, before running off.  
  
We sought out our friends in the corner. They stopped talking as we approached.  
  
"Hey, Bakura," Tea said. "Are you - "  
  
"If you're trying to ask if I'm okay," I told her, "then yes, I am. I am fine. And we must never speak of this again, because however it may have looked, I did /not/ faint."  
  
They all relaxed. This was the me that they knew.  
  
But /I/ didn't know who I was anymore. Part of me was saying, "You're Mai's boyfriend! Ryou's yami! Atenna's master!"  
  
And the other part, the part that brought the images to my mind whenever I shut my eyes, said, "You're a tomb robber, you're corrupt and a murderer, and whatever they might want to believe, you /know/. It's not over. There's something there that changes everything you held as truth."  
  
I /wanted/ to believe the first voice. I so much wanted to believe that everything was fine, that we were all just normal - as normal as we /could/ be, that is.  
  
But I knew that, no matter what we wanted, it wasn't over. There was fire ahead, and blood, and sand, and the Evil Wristwatch of Doom...  
  
"You're going to get rid of the watch, right?" I asked Ryou while the others weren't listening.  
  
"As soon as I find it," he replied. "I know it's in the house somewhere, I just can't remember where."  
  
I let it go. After all, it was nearly midnight and I had other things to think about - like kissing my girlfriend.  
  
Mai hugged me. "You're sure you're okay?"  
  
I smiled. "How could I not be? I'm with you, remember?"  
  
When midnight came, we kissed. Young, foolish, and in love. And, unfortunately, she chased the visions away. I forgot the watch, and the things I had seen, forgot Egypt altogether.  
  
We were happy. So happy. For today, and tomorrow, and it seemed, for all the tomorrows to come.  
  
Except that tomorrow never comes.  
  
**And I wanna believe you  
  
When you tell me that it'll be okay  
  
Yeah, I try to believe you  
  
Not today  
  
Tomorrow it may change  
  
Tomorrow it may change  
  
Tomorrow it may change  
  
Tomorrow it may change**  
  
~~  
  
A/N: And thus Let Go ends, and Fallen begins. Yes, the sequel is to be called Fallen, another songfic, hopefully longer, with the songs by Evanescence. Anyone picking up on the hints (which were horribly blatant, I'm afraid) and familiar with the songs might have some idea what the plot of Fallen is. However, that's in the future, and here and now, I'm delighted that this story is /finally/ done. I am thoroughly appalled that it took so long. A whole year. *shudder* I apologize for the terrible waits at the beginning, and the rush toward the end. But I also thank you all. I appreciated every review, and I hope you all liked this enough to return for Fallen.  
  
Mai/Bakura forever! 


End file.
